CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A man is behind bars accused of stalking a 16-year-old student on her way to school.
Clayton County School police officials say the teenager used her cellphone camera to get crucial evidence against the man, identified as Ronald Owens, 45.
The teen, who attends North Clayton High School, told police she was so alarmed by Owens actions that she used her phone to take a picture of his license plate number.
Once she notified them of the encounter, police say they found surveillance video showing the man pulling onto school property and attempting to flirt with the teen.
“He asked her to smile, and basically, she was trying to get rid of him, and he asked her if she wanted a sugar daddy, allegedly,” Clayton County School Police Chief Clarence Cox told Channel 2’s Mark Winne.
Owens denied the allegations when Channel 2 Action News questioned outside Clayton School Police Headquarters.
Cox says Owens told them he was just asking for directions to a gym.
The teen told police this wasn’t her first encounter with Owens. On March 26, the teen says Owens drove up next to her on her way home from school and asked if she wanted a ride. Police say a passerby noticed something was wrong and tried to intervene.
“A concerned citizen saw the encounter, stopped to ask the young lady if she needed some assistance, and the young lady acknowledged yes,” Cox said.
Owens denied that encounter, but police say the citizen got his tag number and made a police report. That number matched the one the teen took a picture of on her phone Thursday.
The chief says Owens, a daycare worker, had a misdemeanor solicitation of sodomy under 17 case roughly a quarter century ago
“His story, so far, is he was in an undercover sting,” Cox said.
The chief says his investigators are looking at alarming statements by a family member.
That family member told him that Owens, who is married, frequently brought young looking women to the house, who he claimed to the family member were at least 21.
“We're certainly looking for any young ladies under the age of 18 who may have had any encounters,” Cox said.
Cox said the teen made a smart decision to take the photo.
“We're very proud that she used technology for something positive,” Cox said.
WSBTV
