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St. Cloud State University
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Attacks render no suspects
By Geoff Higgins
Published:
Monday, October 21, 2002
Attacks on women last week in St. Cloud should have students and citizens of the area aware of where they are and who they are with at all times.
On Wednesday and Thursday last week, the St. Cloud Police Department responded to calls that involving attacks on women. The first attack was just west of SCSU in the 500 block of Sixth Avenue South. For her protection, the police were only willing to say that the victim of the attack was a female.
The victim was walking home alone when she was grabbed by a male that could only be described as wearing a dark colored, down-filled jacket. The incident took place around 10 p.m. The possible motive of the attack could be robbery or abduction according to the police report. The woman was able to fight off and escape from the attacker and run to the SCSU Public Safety Department headquarters building. The victim suffered only minor physical injuries on her hands from catching herself when falling to the ground. Richard Wilson, administrative captain of SCPD said that when people experience something like getting attacked, they may suffer more than just physical injuries.
“If you receive a traumatizing event you may not have any physical injury, but you may suffer a psychological trauma,” he said.
On Thursday, another woman was able to flee a possible attacker at Wal-mart located at 380 33rd Avenue South in St. Cloud. The female was walking in the parking lot toward the store at about 3:30 p.m. when her arm was grabbed by a man. The man pulled out what appeared to be a gold badge and a photo identification card in a black badge holder.
The woman was able to pull her arm away and continued walking into the store where she contacted police immediately. The man yelled, “Police!” several times and then left the scene.
The victim was able to give a good description of the attacker to the police. The attacker was described as Hispanic, 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 250 pounds. The male appeared to be in his early thirties with thick black hair and a mustache.
“Nobody knows who this guy is, but I can tell you who he is not. He is not a member of the St. Cloud Police Department,” Wilson said. “We usually don’t just grab someone, we identify ourselves first.”
According to Wilson, there is a standard identification process that police follow when dealing with people. An officer will always identify him or herself with voice identification first, by saying his or her name. The next step is presenting a police badge and picture identification card.
Miles Heckendorn, Public Safety Department director, has several tips for staying safe and away from situations with attackers. According to Heckendorn, the main thing that people need to do for safety is to be aware of their surroundings at all times. Traveling in pairs and keeping in contact with others while traveling alone are additional ways people can stay safe.
“Let people know where you are going, from point A to point B,” Heckendorn said.
Other preventative measures include parking in well lit areas while on campus and using the blue light emergency stations if there is an indication of danger.
PSD also offers rides for students on campus if they are in need of an escort.
Students living off campus in need of an escort can call the MTC for a free ride on the Sundowner, a bus SCSU contracted from the MTC for off-campus students who need transportation.
With winter and cold weather around the corner, the PSD is also offering to jump students’ vehicles free of charge to help promote safety.
“We don’t want your money, we want you to be safe,” Heckendorn said.
