Hickory police spokeswoman Chrystal Dieter said the man came to the woman's Hickory house around 4:30 a.m. Friday wearing a clown mask and a multicolored wig.

Authorities say the man didn't hurt the woman, and she was able to remove his mask and recognized him as an acquaintance before he left.

A motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT