A 13-year-old defended himself with a pocket knife against an assailant on Road J west of Mancos, March 26, according to the sheriff's Facebook page.
The teen told a sheriff's deputy he was walking home from the library when a man jumped out from the side of the road and began trying to punch him. The teen was hit in the chest by a glancing blow and said it didn't hurt. He shoved the man away and pulled out his pocket knife to defend himself.
After the man left the scene, the teen called his stepfather and continued walking home. His stepfather reported the incident, and a deputy met with victim's stepfather and his mother at their residence.
The juvenile described the man as about 5 feet 9 inches tall with brown hair.
He also said the man was possibly in his 40s or 50s and had a wrinkled face.
He had a medium build with a slight "beer gut." The man was wearing a blue T-shirt, blue jeans, black tennis shoes, and a brown jacket. His clothes were dirty, and he had some stubble.
The victim said he did not know who the man was, and couldn't think of anyone who would be angry at him or want to hurt him. The stepfather said the juvenile was quite rattled when he called, but he was otherwise OK. The stepfather and mother hadn't noticed suspicious people or activity recently and didn't anyone who matched the man's description.
The deputy searched the area for anyone who matched the description of the suspect but did not find anyone.
Mancos marshals also searched the town for the man but did not find him, Marshal John Cox said.