Mounties are looking for a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a Sherbrooke, N.S., woman outside of her home.

Cpl. Dal Hutchinson of Nova Scotia RCMP says the incident happened around 7 p.m. Friday.

Police say the man drove up to the woman, and after a brief conversation, sexually assaulted her.

The man fled the scene in a vehicle.

The two weren’t known to each other, police add.  

"This incident would be extremely upsetting, not only for the victim but for the surrounding community," says Cpl. Hutchinson in a statement.

"We want citizens to know that our investigators will continue to work around the clock in an effort to locate the suspect.”

It's a crime that everyone in the community is talking about, and some find difficult to comprehend.

“We come down here every second weekend from town to get away it all,” said Lorraine Croft. “I can't believe this is happening down here. This is a quiet community. Things like this don't happen down here.”

“We're always friendly,” said resident Heidie Reeves. “You'd probably think he was stopping for directions or something.”

The suspect is described as a 30 to 35-year-old white man with an average build, about six feet tall, with tanned arms, short dark hair above the ears, and neatly trimmed dark facial hair.

At the time of the incident, he was wearing loose fitting dark blue jeans, a short-sleeved round neck blue or black t-shirt, and a black or blue baseball cap with a white logo on it.

The victim told police he was also wearing cologne described as “sweet pine.”

The suspect's vehicle is described as a newer model, two-door white car.  

Cpl. Hutchinson says given the location of the assault, there's a chance passing motorists may have seen something.

“It did take place in the yard and that's something investigators will be looking into further, to see if there's any witnesses or anyone nearby that may have saw something that may be able to help our investigators,” said Cpl. Hutchinson.

Police say the woman was released from hospital and is receiving support through victim services.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.