news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Friends of an Oak Ridge man missing since Monday are desperately searching for him.

Jason “Jake” Paul Aton, 32, has been missing since at least Monday when friends said he failed to show up for work at the Food Lion at 3516 Drawbridge Parkway. He was a manager at the store.

Aton was last seen Sunday night when leaving a practice with his rock band.

He was scheduled to report for work at 8 a.m. Monday, and a neighbor reported hearing the engine from his scooter about that time leaving his residence along Oak Ridge Road, said Noel Dougherty, a friend of Aton’s.

“He has never been known not to go to work and not call,” Dougherty said. “(On Sunday) he mentioned he was going to work the next day and showed no odd behavior.”

Aton was reported missing to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday night. Authorities have searched his route to work by both air and ground with no luck.

The sheriff’s office said Wednesday they do not suspect foul play.

“What worries is that so much time has passed,” Dougherty said.  “My fear is that he’s been hit on the scooter by a vehicle ... (and) he is in a ravine where no one has seen him yet. We are doing the best to cover all the areas where he might have been.”

Dougherty said that as far as his friends know, Aton had no enemies and nothing going on in his life that might cause him to run off. He had no mental or medical issues, or drug or alcohol problems, she said. He also rarely traveled out of town.

“My hope is that something would have snapped within him and he left, but that’s not his character,” Dougherty said.

Aton is described as a white man, 6 foot 1 inch tall and weighs about 210 pounds, Dougherty said. He has a stocky build, a shaved head, and a blondish brown goatee. He wears glasses.

Dougherty said he was believed to be on a black and silver Yamaha Vino scooter. He usually wore a black biker’s jacket and helmet and he is believed to have been wearing his Food Lion uniform.

Anyone with information about Aton’s whereabouts is asked to call the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office at 641-3690 or Crime Stoppers at 373-1000. Crime Stoppers callers can remain anonymous and are eligible for cash rewards.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com