Saturday, October 12, 1996

Local woman abducted, raped

By TANYA EISERER
Staff Writer

A knife-wielding rapist abducted a 29-year-old Abilene woman late Thursday night and forced her to drive to a remote rural location where he raped her.

The woman, who was parked at Mall of Abilene, was getting in her vehicle at about 10:15 p.m.
when a man jumped up from the floorboard of the backseat, brandished a knife and made her drive to northwest Abilene, said Lt. Mark Moore, who heads the criminal investigations division.

Police said the man, who appeared to be in his early 20s, forced the woman to pull over into the dirt area on the side of the road and then raped her.

After assaulting the woman, the suspect made her drive back to town until the vehicle started running out of gas. The distraught woman pulled the car over to the side of the road, jumped out of the car and ran east until she came to a house where she could call the police.

The suspect also fled the scene, taking a $250 stereo with him.

Police refused to disclose other details of the case, including where the rape happened or what the rapist told the woman. Police have no suspects.

Investigators will try to obtain suspect's fingerprints from the car and DNA evidence that will help identify the assailant, Moore said.

The victim told police her assailant was a black man, standing about five foot ten inches and weighing 145 pounds.

She was taken to Hendrick Medical Center for treatment.

The trauma stemming from a sexual assault is uniquely individual, said Judy Kingery, director of the Crime Victim Crisis Center in Abilene.

"It manifests itself in different ways," Kingery said. "People may be extremely fearful. ... It's similar to what combat veterans experience when they return from war. Life is out of control. My safety is not guaranteed."

Moore advises women to be more aware, even in well-lit areas such as the mall.

"Don't be paranoid, but pay attention to what's going on around you," he said. "Lock the door to your vehicle. Try not to be alone in dark places and try to stay around other people."