Rape in Ponte Vedra leads to tight security

GSB · November 28, 2002, 08:16 PM

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-onlin...11068674.shtml

The following occurred right down the road from where I live. It's the classic scenario: woman alone in a very vulnerable line of work where she deals with strangers all the time. I wish more women would take the steps necessary to protect themselves from predators like this bastard. No, a gun will not always protect everyone, but it changes the equation, and if most women were properly trained carried them in vulnerable situations, how many rapists would have a lengthy career? This story might have had a much different outcome had this woman been as prepared as Runt of the Litter or Tamara.

Rape in Ponte Vedra leads to tight security

By Caren Burmeister
Shorelines staff writer

Women who work at apartment complexes on Ponte Vedra Lakes Boulevard are asking their employers to tighten security and not let them work alone in the office since an employee was raped at gunpoint last weekend.

A woman reported about 2 p.m. Sunday that she was attacked by a man who asked to see an apartment, according to a spokesman for the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. The woman told deputies that she gave the man a brochure and he pointed a gun at her, forced her into a back room and raped her.

An acquaintance of the woman who works at a nearby apartment complex said a deputy told her what had happened and recommended she contact her employer. The apartment leasing office where the woman works and six others along the boulevard closed early that day after news of the attack spread.

"I was very shaken up," the acquaintance said. "It's very scary. I've thought about getting a gun, mace or a stun gun."

Sheriff's deputies searched the area on foot for hours Sunday looking for the rapist, police said. They were assisted by helicopters and a canine unit from the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, but the man was not found, officials said.

On Monday, the acquaintance said her apartment complex distributed notices to its 700 residents warning them of the attack and asking them to lock doors and windows and take other safety precautions.

The victim was taken to a hospital after Sunday's attack for an exam. Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Kelshaw said he could not say whether authorities obtained evidence from the exam. Detectives are talking with other law enforcement agencies to see whether there have been similar attacks in the region.

"We're looking at all aspects of it," Kelshaw said.

The victim described her attacker as being white, in his mid 20s, about 5-feet-11-inches tall, medium build, with light brown eyebrows, blue-grey eyes and no facial hair. She said he was wearing a blue shirt with a pocket, blue jeans and a green and khaki hat with lettering on it.

November 28, 2002, 08:16 PM	#1
GSB Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2001 Location: Florida Posts: 940	Rape in Ponte Vedra leads to tight security http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-onlin...11068674.shtml The following occurred right down the road from where I live. It's the classic scenario: woman alone in a very vulnerable line of work where she deals with strangers all the time. I wish more women would take the steps necessary to protect themselves from predators like this bastard. No, a gun will not always protect everyone, but it changes the equation, and if most women were properly trained carried them in vulnerable situations, how many rapists would have a lengthy career? This story might have had a much different outcome had this woman been as prepared as Runt of the Litter or Tamara. Rape in Ponte Vedra leads to tight security By Caren Burmeister Shorelines staff writer Women who work at apartment complexes on Ponte Vedra Lakes Boulevard are asking their employers to tighten security and not let them work alone in the office since an employee was raped at gunpoint last weekend. A woman reported about 2 p.m. Sunday that she was attacked by a man who asked to see an apartment, according to a spokesman for the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. The woman told deputies that she gave the man a brochure and he pointed a gun at her, forced her into a back room and raped her. An acquaintance of the woman who works at a nearby apartment complex said a deputy told her what had happened and recommended she contact her employer. The apartment leasing office where the woman works and six others along the boulevard closed early that day after news of the attack spread. "I was very shaken up," the acquaintance said. "It's very scary. I've thought about getting a gun, mace or a stun gun." Sheriff's deputies searched the area on foot for hours Sunday looking for the rapist, police said. They were assisted by helicopters and a canine unit from the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, but the man was not found, officials said. On Monday, the acquaintance said her apartment complex distributed notices to its 700 residents warning them of the attack and asking them to lock doors and windows and take other safety precautions. The victim was taken to a hospital after Sunday's attack for an exam. Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Kelshaw said he could not say whether authorities obtained evidence from the exam. Detectives are talking with other law enforcement agencies to see whether there have been similar attacks in the region. "We're looking at all aspects of it," Kelshaw said. The victim described her attacker as being white, in his mid 20s, about 5-feet-11-inches tall, medium build, with light brown eyebrows, blue-grey eyes and no facial hair. She said he was wearing a blue shirt with a pocket, blue jeans and a green and khaki hat with lettering on it. __________________ GOA, NRA Life Member - "Freedom is not a 'loophole' "