AHOSKIE – It sounded like an April Fool’s joke, but it wasn’t. This was more like ‘strange, but true’.

Ahoskie Police took a naked man into custody here Tuesday after he had created quite a stir at the local KFC/Taco Bell restaurant on Memorial Drive.

The man, whose name has not been released and who is believed to be autistic, was riding as a passenger in a vehicle with a social worker in the restaurant drive-thru line when the man suddenly began shedding his clothes.

All of his clothes.

Completely naked, the man then exited the vehicle, entered the building and ran through the restaurant seating area to the obvious surprise of the customers.

The man then ran out of the restaurant and approached a van that was in the drive-thru line before entering that vehicle on the passenger’s side.

The driver, a woman, later told officers she could not lock her doors fast enough to prevent the man from getting into her van.

The man, whom social workers say is infatuated with shiny objects, then assaulted the woman by attempting to take her jeweled earrings and necklace. The woman was able to escape out the driver’s side door.

The man then leapt from the front seat to the back of the van where he kicked out the rear window.  However, rather than climb out the smashed rear window, he returned to the front seat where he finally came out of the van by the driver’s-side door and returned to his original vehicle with the social worker which by now had parked.

The restaurant manager went outside to assure that the man did not attempt to leave the social worker’s car before police arrived.

Hertford County Rescue also arrived on the scene at the same time as the Ahoskie PD and they were able to provide a cloth sheet which was used to cover the man, whom police then transported to Vidant/Roanoke Chowan Hospital for a medical evaluation.

In the meantime, the man’s parents arrived, first to the restaurant where they spoke with the driver of the van and had an exchange of information. The parents then made arrangements to take care of the damages to the woman’s vehicle through another party before they then left to go to the hospital to check on their son.

At the hospital, due to the man’s medical condition, he was released back to the social worker and police say no charges will be filed.