Second woman reports assault
Man took student to 'isolated area'
CAROLYN CRIST
Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
A University student is the second woman to report she was abducted by a male driving a white passenger van after the Georgia-South Carolina football game, Athens-Clarke County police said Tuesday. In this case, however, she was sexually assaulted.
The first female to report the case to police, a 20-year-old from South Carolina, said she was separated from her friends while visiting downtown Athens and was approached by a male in a white passenger van. He offered her a ride at 1 a.m. on Sept. 9, and she willingly entered the vehicle, according to the release.
The male drove her to an isolated area on Arnoldsville Road in Oglethorpe County. She jumped out of the vehicle and called police at the nearest residence. Police say she was able to escape before he was able to assault her.
The University woman notified police after a friend explained the incident to Kathryn Keith Sims, director of Safe Campuses Now.
"It's important that police know he actually raped a female during this incident," Sims said. "Some students may be hesitant to report it because they have been drinking underage or think police will tell their parents, but that's not the case. We need to get the information out in case he has assaulted someone else."
The University female reported "she was taken in a similar manner," according to a news release. She described a similar man and white van and said she was assaulted in the same area of Oglethorpe County before the male drove her to Firewood Street and left her during the morning of Sept. 8.
Nearly a month later ACC police issued a warning.
"The suspect may pick up multiple passengers and drive all but his intended victim to their destination as if he was a legitimate courtesy van service," the release said.
"We remind people to not walk by themselves, know where they are and make sure it's a legitimate taxi service before you get in the vehicle," ACC Lt. Michael McKeel said Tuesday.
All Athens taxi services display the word "Taxi," and identification numbers are listed on the cab, he said.
"We've got permits that we post," said a driver for Your Cab Co. "Every driver has two pieces of identification - a driver's license and permit with a picture and name."
In both incidents, the suspect is described as a 20- to 30-year-old white male with short brown hair, between 5'8" and 5'11" with a medium build of 150 to 190 lbs. He was wearing a baseball cap and a light blue or white polo during the Sept. 9 incident.
In both incidents, the van was described as a new, large white passenger van with gray interior and rows of seats.
"Students should contact the police if they encounter such a driver," said ACC Sgt. Barbara Gale. "We'd rather investigate it than have another person abducted."
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. People with information can call ACC Det. Ben Dickerson at (706)613-3888, ext. 793.
The first female to report the case to police, a 20-year-old from South Carolina, said she was separated from her friends while visiting downtown Athens and was approached by a male in a white passenger van. He offered her a ride at 1 a.m. on Sept. 9, and she willingly entered the vehicle, according to the release.
The male drove her to an isolated area on Arnoldsville Road in Oglethorpe County. She jumped out of the vehicle and called police at the nearest residence. Police say she was able to escape before he was able to assault her.
The University woman notified police after a friend explained the incident to Kathryn Keith Sims, director of Safe Campuses Now.
"It's important that police know he actually raped a female during this incident," Sims said. "Some students may be hesitant to report it because they have been drinking underage or think police will tell their parents, but that's not the case. We need to get the information out in case he has assaulted someone else."
The University female reported "she was taken in a similar manner," according to a news release. She described a similar man and white van and said she was assaulted in the same area of Oglethorpe County before the male drove her to Firewood Street and left her during the morning of Sept. 8.
Nearly a month later ACC police issued a warning.
"The suspect may pick up multiple passengers and drive all but his intended victim to their destination as if he was a legitimate courtesy van service," the release said.
"We remind people to not walk by themselves, know where they are and make sure it's a legitimate taxi service before you get in the vehicle," ACC Lt. Michael McKeel said Tuesday.
All Athens taxi services display the word "Taxi," and identification numbers are listed on the cab, he said.
"We've got permits that we post," said a driver for Your Cab Co. "Every driver has two pieces of identification - a driver's license and permit with a picture and name."
In both incidents, the suspect is described as a 20- to 30-year-old white male with short brown hair, between 5'8" and 5'11" with a medium build of 150 to 190 lbs. He was wearing a baseball cap and a light blue or white polo during the Sept. 9 incident.
In both incidents, the van was described as a new, large white passenger van with gray interior and rows of seats.
"Students should contact the police if they encounter such a driver," said ACC Sgt. Barbara Gale. "We'd rather investigate it than have another person abducted."
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. People with information can call ACC Det. Ben Dickerson at (706)613-3888, ext. 793.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
CoastalDawg
posted 10/03/07 @ 12:56 PM EST
Just to make things clear her, I am NOT blaming the victims. That being said however, I'm still amazed at the fact that anyone would get into a vehicle with a total stranger,e specially when in an inebriated state and late at night. (Continued…)
Jessica
posted 10/03/07 @ 2:52 PM EST
Um, no one has ever accused drunk sorority girls of making smart decisions. The average college student downtown has no common sense. This girl was underage, drunk, and stupid. (Continued…)
Kaitlin
posted 10/03/07 @ 4:16 PM EST
Get off your high horse, CD and Jessica. Drunk, stupid sorority girl?...do you feel better now for getting that off your chest? Let's not point fingers at individuals and start making any accusations. (Continued…)
polly
posted 10/03/07 @ 4:33 PM EST
Kaitlin, I don't really think that the time frame of reporting the incident is an "issue." There are numerous things that come into play when making a decision about releasing information of that nature. (Continued…)
William
posted 10/03/07 @ 4:37 PM EST
What do you mean by the police waited to report the incident. The did a press release the day after the report was filed like they always do. Why would you get into a van with no taxi markings? The police have no duty to release ANY information to anyone during an open criminal investigation by the way. (Continued…)
NTP
posted 10/03/07 @ 10:23 PM EST
This really scares me. The description of this guy pretty much fits 90% of the population. Though we may be quick to judge the victims, we must remember that this guy said, if I'm correct, that he was a taxi driver. (Continued…)
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