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GREENSBORO — For the second time in as many days, someone reported a black bear sighting in southeast Guilford County.

About 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, Cle Johnson of 1111 Wiley Lewis Road was out watering her flowers when she got the shock of her life.

“I heard my dogs having a fit, and I turned around to see what it was, and there was a huge black bear running across my yard,” Johnson said late Tuesday.

Her next move? Gathering up her grandchildren, running inside the house, locking the door and calling 911. The bear, which she said didn’t appear aggressive, ran off toward a nearby pasture.

As of late Wednesday, the bear, or bears, were still on the loose. And it’s not the first sighting reported in the county over the past few weeks.

Emergency dispatchers said they have received several reports of bear sightings recently, though no bear has been caught.

Another bear sighting was reported about 8 p.m. Tuesday near Pleasant Garden and Vandalia roads, close to railroad tracks, according to emergency radio traffic.

The bear in that sighting was reported to be about 150 pounds. Johnson estimates the bear she saw was about 500 to 600 pounds.

In both cases deputies responded, but the bear got away each time.

“I thought I was going to have cardiac arrest. It scared me to death” Johnson said of her bear sighting.

“I was moving as fast as he was, trying to get in the house," she said. "I don’t know if I turned the water off or not. I just dropped the hose and ran.”

According to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, bears are naturally attracted to food odors from residential areas.

They love garbage, pet food, compost piles, bird seed and the grease from a barbecue grill. And if a bear lands a quick meal — or a taste of one — it's likely to come back.

While frequently sighted at the mountains and the coast of North Carolina, bears are known to cross into the central part of the state in search of mates, food and new territory, according to the wildlife commission.

Bear sightings also have been reported in the Raleigh and Durham areas as recently as late May.

As for Johnson, she said she's not taking any more chances.

“That did it for me (with the garden),” Johnson said. “I’m going to the Farmer’s Market — he can have it — that did it for me.”

Staff photographer Nelson Kepley contributed to this report.

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