A southern Indiana sheriff is warning the public about the presence of mountain lions in the area after four reported sightings in the past week. One of the sightings was by a Lawrence County police officer, who spotted a mountain lion eating a deer carcass along Indiana 37 north of Bedford over the weekend of October 30-31, 2010.

Lawrence County Sheriff Sam Craig told The Times-Mail that while he doesn’t want to alarm people, he wants residents to take proper precautions. Conservation officers say people shouldn’t make rapid or aggressive movements toward the big cats.

Three other sightings were reported to the department last week.

State officials have confirmed instances of mountain lions in nearby Greene and Clay counties, Indiana, in the past year. The animals had last been confirmed in the 1860s.