A sex offender wanted in two states attacked a girl on a rail trail in Johnstown, investigators said.

Police say last Sunday, about a week ago, a girl was attacked and injured on the section of the rail trail between West Montgomery Street and West Main Street in Johnstown at about 7pm.

Police say the injured girl was able to get away and run to a friend’s house and call police. She was able to give investigators a detailed description of her attacker.

“I guess she fought him and she was screaming and that’s when at one point a threat to kill her and do more harm if she didn’t remain quiet,” said Johnstown Police Chief David Gilbo. “She put up a fight and she was able to get away and just kept running.”

Police say the rail trail is patrolled regularly.

Police canvassed the area and used the city’s comprehensive network of cameras.

25-year-old Paul Joseph Benoit was arrested. He is a Level 3 sex offender wanted in two states: Louisiana and Missouri.

“From Louisiana, originally,” said Chief Gilbo. “It sounds like he was convicted of a sex crime down there, put on the sex offender registry. He left the state of Louisiana and went to Missouri.”

Investigators say he has family in Johnstown, and has been here for a couple of months.

We looked into his history. State records show an attempted sexual battery in 2018.

The Daily Star in Louisiana reported at the time that a then 19-year-old Paul Joseph Benoit was accused of trying to rape a social worker.

Benoit is now charged with unlawful imprisonment, assault, forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child, and failing to register.

According to the arrest report, Benoit is being held in jail on $7500 cash bail.