MACON, Ga. — Cars passed by a quiet Buford Place on Monday. Sprinklers sprayed. People walked their dogs. It was a normal day in the neighborhood.
Clay Murphey has lived on the street for 27 years and says it's a great area.
"We sit on the front porch and watch people walk by, and you talk to them when they walk by," says Murphey.
But on Saturday, Bibb County deputies were called to a home on Murphey's road.
"What happened down the street was an anomaly for this neighborhood. I think it was an anomaly for any neighborhood, if I'm being honest," says Murphey.
An 79-year-old woman told investigators that a teenager she recognized from selling candy around the neighborhood knocked on her door.
When she went to the back of the house to get some him money, she says he forced his way inside, pushed her on the couch, and sexually assaulted her.
Macon District Attorney David Cooke says he's prosecuted elderly abuse cases that resulted in multi-year prison sentences for offenders.
"The law recognizes that this is a particularly egregious crime, and not only are there crimes that apply just to taking advantage of the elderly, but also the punishments are more severe," says Cooke.
Cooke says older folks are often the targets of phone scams and fraud and says they should be "mindful" of what people are asking them for.
"What would my child say if they were standing right here? What would a law enforcement officer say if they were right here? What sort of verification would they want?" asked Cooke.
And on his street, Murphey says neighbors try to do just that.
"There's a lot of older, single women that I think take joy in having a neighbor that's 10 feet away that they can go knock on a door. We have a tendency to look out for each other," says Murphey.
Dee Simms with Crisis Line and Safe House says about 100 cases of sexual assault across Central Georgia have been reported to Crisis Line so far this year.
RELATED: 'The worst thing that has ever happened:' 79-year-old Macon woman says teen sexually assaulted her
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