An incident in which students walking to a junior high school reported that they saw a naked man is under investigation, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.

Officers were called out at about 8:30 a.m. Monday to El Camino Jr. High on a report of an indecent exposure, said Sgt. Daniel Cohen.

“Officers learned that children walking to school had reported to school officials that they saw a naked man near the intersection of Thornburg and Hermosa,” Cohen said. “It appeared that the male was trying to attract the attention of the children.”

The suspect had fled by the time officers arrived.

He was described as Hispanic, 30-40 years old, 5-foot-6, medium build, with short curly hair.

His hair was partially gray, his face was clean shaven, and he was wearing a shirt with blue and white horizontal stripes.

A similar incident occurred at the same location in late January, Cohen said.

Anyone with information about this crime is encouraged to call the Police Department at 805.928.3781.

— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.