Police in Wetzel County are searching for a man who chased after a 9-year-old girl on Wednesday.

Paden City police said the incident happened after the child got off a school along state Route 2 near True Value.

She told police she saw a man who looked like he was hitchhiking, but when she walked past him, the man followed her. She told police she started to run and the man chased her. She said when she crossed the street, the man stopped and ran the other way.

Police are searching for a white man in his early- to mid-20s, around 6 feet tall and weighing about 150 pounds. They believe he had brown eyes with short, light-colored hair. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt, blue jeans and black tennis shoes.

NEWS9's Ryan Eldredge spoke to the child's mother and is on his way to Wetzel County to talk to her and her daughter about what happened.

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