West Penn Township police officer Melissa Ruch was assaulted after stopping to investigate a disabled vehicle on Route 309 near the Appalachian Trail crossing atop the Blue Mountain, the (Lehighton, Pennsylvania) Times News reports.
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Pennsylvania State Police at nearby Frackville and at Lehighton also had no information to release. Her injuries were not considered life-threatening.
The man is described as between 6 foot 2 and 6 foot 4 and between 240 and 260 pounds.
The man was last seen in a Nissan Maxima with a license that may have been painted over, police said.
She was found down an embankment along the northbound lane of Route 309.
Reports said Ruch’s shirt was sliced open, although it wasn’t immediately clear if that was from the attack or the fall. She was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest by helicopter, he said.
Police from several counties responded to the scene, reports said, but the man and the auto were gone. As of 10:35 p.m., fire police and other emergency personnel were still at the intersection leading to the road.
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According to various news sources in the area, West Penn police Sgt. They declined to comment.
