Geographical Index > United States > Ohio > Belmont County > Report # 49918
(Class B)
Submitted by witness on Monday, October 5, 2015.
Coon hunters chased off by screaming and rock throwing near Barnesville
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YEAR: 2015
SEASON: Fall MONTH: October DATE: 4 STATE: Ohio COUNTY: Belmont County LOCATION DETAILS: State Route 800 out of Barnesville to State Route 148, approximately 7 miles from town near County Road 92. NEAREST TOWN: Barnesville/Bethesda NEAREST ROAD: State Route 148 known as Captina Hwy OBSERVED: It's back! I spoke with you on the phone last fall after submitting my story.....well, they are back in the same location as of last night. Just as last year rocks are being thrown, but with more aggression. After leaving the area due to a large rock throwing encounter, I decided to return later....this time there was a vocalization! It was a roar or growl. I then left and we did not return. Please contact me and I will give you specific details. Mxxxx, Barnesville, Ohio ALSO NOTICED: Same incident of rock throwing and the feeling that something was trying to run us out of there. This time the one large rock that was thrown was picked up and brought home....it does have 3 fresh scratch marks on it and it was still dirty/wet on one side where it was picked up before being thrown. OTHER WITNESSES: Three of us. OTHER STORIES: Yes, some rock throwing and the sound of something walking...followed us out of woods to our truck. But no growls until last night. I reported last years incidences and a rep from Ohio did contact me. TIME AND CONDITIONS: Night, started around 8:30 and it was very dark out. ENVIRONMENT: Two corn fields with a creek running between them. Rocky hillside with ledges or caves at top. No houses, desolate area.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Jason Kovalski:
On October 7, 2015 Jim Thompson and I met up with the witnesses. As we arrived at the house, two of the witnesses were ready to go, but the third refused to go back to the area. Before we left, one of the witnesses showed me the large rock that was thrown at them a few nights earlier. It had fresh scratch marks (as reported) and it was slightly larger than two grown man's hands placed side by side.
Photo of the rock:
We drove out to the location after dark. It was approximately 8 when we arrived. We went into the corn field (that still had standing stocks) to work our way towards the woods. The first location we stopped at was in the field where the rocks were thrown a few nights before. I asked where the rocks were thrown from and one of the witnesses stated that they came from the wood line. We continued into the woods retracing their steps from a few nights earlier. They eventually led us to the location where they claimed to hear the vocalization. He stated that the vocalizations began as a growl/grunt but became more of a scream or screech. At this point I asked one witness to stay with Jim and the other to go with me to the area they thought the vocalization came from. The area's terrain had a lot of deep ruts and valleys. We crossed a creek to the area where he thought it was standing. At this point we were only about 40 yards from Jim and the other witness, but could not see them because of a hill between us. There was clearly a worn path, but no definitive footprints. However, there were worn areas about 15 inches in length that could have possibly been tracks. We spent several hours on location, but there was no signs that night. We returned one other evening and spent a few hours again with no other indications of something present at that time. I did survey the area during the day. It is very desolate and there are caves in the area.
About BFRO Investigator Jason Kovalski:
I am a K-12 public school administrator with a strong background in biology. I am married with two children. My interest in bipedal cryptids has spanned the last 30 years.
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