Ladies - Please read. And stay safe out there!

[LadyC]

Given to me courtesy of my local police department:

NEW RAPE/ATTACK METHOD

This is told in the words of a woman who lives in an area of the US where a manhunt for a serial rapist/murder is currently underway.  But the info is good to know for anyone.

Know what amount of money you are carrying. You will see why as you read.

This was the first I have heard of a scheme like this..... I wanted to pass it along. Criminals are coming up with craftier, less threatening methods of attack, so we have to be extra cautious. Read on...

At first I didn't go to the police or anyone with it because I didn't realize how serious this encounter was. But since I work in a jail and I
told a few people about it, it wasn't long before I was paraded into Internal Affairs to tell them my story. It was approximately 5:15 a.m. in
Opelousas , LA. I had stayed with a friend there and was on my way to work.

I stopped at the Exxon/Blimpie Pie station to get gas. I got $10 gas and a Diet Coke. I took into the store two $5 bills and one $1 bill (just enough to get my stuff). As I pulled away from the store, a man approached my truck from the back side of the store (an unlit area). He was an "approachable-looking" man (clean cut, clean shaven, dressed well, etc.).

He walked up to my window and knocked. Since I'm very paranoid and "always looking for the rapist or killer," I didn't open the window. I just asked what he wanted. He raised a $5 bill to my window and said, "You dropped this."

Since I knew I had gone into the store with a certain amount of money, I knew I didn't drop it.

When I told him it wasn't mine, he began hitting the window and door, screaming at me to open my door, and insisting that I had dropped the money!

At that point, I just drove away as fast as I could. After talking to the Internal Affairs Department and describing the man I saw, and the way he escalated from calm and polite to angry and volatile....it was determined that I could have possibly encountered the serial killer myself.

Up to this point, it had been unclear as to how he had gained access to his victims, since there has been no evidence of forced entry into victim's homes, cars, etc. And the fact that he has been attacking in the daytime, when women are less likely to have their guard up, means he is pretty BOLD.

So think about it...what gesture is nicer than returning money to someone that dropped it????? How many times would you have opened your window (or door) to get your money and say thank you.... because if the person is kind enough to return something to you, then he can't really be a threat....can he???? Please be cautious! This might not have been the serial killer...but anyone that gets that angry over someone not accepting money from them can't have honorable intentions.

The most important thing to note is that his reaction was NOT WHAT I EXPECTED! A total surprise! But what might have happened if I had opened my door? I shudder to think!

I didn't post this to frighten anyone.  Quite the opposite.  It's knowledge, and knowledge is power.  Being empowered is what makes the difference between being a survivor or being a victim. 

STAY SAFE!  LadyC loves you!   

[NCSandhillsDeb]

Thanks Kris.

We have to be increasingly vigilant in this crazy world.

Debbie

[Tammy]

Kris
Thanks! Wow that is scary!  I am very cautious of people I dont know but Im not sure what I would have done in that circumstance..  I know now. Thanks again!

[Prissy]

Kris,

We have to be so careful nowadays because we don't know who we can trust.  If I think someone is following me at night, I don't go straight home.  I pass up my street until the car turns off somewhere else!

And even though I live in a nice neighborhood, I am careful about who I open my door to.  Of course, it helps to have two dogs barking beside me like they're ready to kill someone!!

Hugs,
Prissy

[LadyC]

Kris
Thanks! Wow that is scary!  I am very cautious of people I dont know but Im not sure what I would have done in that circumstance..  I know now. Thanks again!

That's pretty much what I thought, too, Tammy.  I kind of had a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach because I knew immediately that I would've rolled my window down without so much as a second thought.  I'm glad that woman was smarter than I would've been!    

And even though I live in a nice neighborhood, I am careful about who I open my door to.  Of course, it helps to have two dogs barking beside me like they're ready to kill someone!!

Hugs,
Prissy

LOL!  Me, too!!  And  one of them is half pitbull and even though she's as lazy as Eeyore and as sweet as a teddy bear, she has a bark that says, "I'll rip your throat out first, and ask what your intentions were after."   

YAY for poochies!!!