Bear spotted wandering through Cherokee County neighborhood

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - A black bear was caught on camera running through a Cherokee County neighborhood this past weekend. A resident said they thought it was a Halloween decoration, but it turned out to be the real deal.

The images were caught by 11-year old Kate Thompson, who pulled out her smartphone to capture the encounter. The bear was scampering through Liz Mabie's yard in the Arbor View subdivision.

This was the one and only sighting of the bear in this large Woodstock subdivision. It's not unusual for bears to wander down from the North Georgia mountains and even find their way into metro Atlanta communities.

Kate's family said she and her aunt were out looking for a dog that had escaped from Kate's yard when they spotted the bear in their neighborhood about a mile from their house.

The most important thing to remember is bears are looking for food. So, make sure the trash can lids are closed and be careful with outside pet food.

The bear was more of attraction in this neighborhood than anything else.  There are no reports of any damage or injuries.