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Rape danger isn’t always urban legend, according to Oklahoma City Police
BY JOHNNY JOHNSON
Published: March 2, 2009 at NewsOK.com


Victim stories abound on the Internet:
"Last week, a lady returned to her car to find the window broken. A helpful man at the side of the car said he had seen someone tampering with it and had remained with the vehicle to make sure no one did any further damage. ... When the man asked for a lift she was quite disappointed. She was in a rush and going in the wrong direction and could not return the favor. It was only when she got home that she noticed in the pouch behind her seat a piece of rope and a knife.”

Sometimes the story involves a flat tire and a helpful man in a business suit. Sometimes it’s about a helpless old lady who actually turns out to be a man. And sometimes the story is about a man giving out perfume samples in a store parking lot, but the perfume is some sort of knockout gas.

A kernel of truth
Those and similar stories are urban legends, said Oklahoma City police Sgt. Gary Knight.

But most legends contain some truth.

"Oftentimes the perpetrator tries to come off as a good guy, to gain trust,” said Lynn Parrish, spokeswoman for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. "It could be anything that may let down her guard.”

It could be an act, such as a man pointing to a woman’s tires as if she has a flat, or a man who offers to walk a woman to her car from a restaurant or bar, Parrish said.

Recently a man was arrested in the rape and abduction of a woman from the Penn Square Mall parking garage.

The woman told police she was returning to her car when she was forced at gunpoint to drive to her bank and withdraw money. She was raped and released in the parking lot of a strip mall.

Police arrested John Earl Stepney, 31, in connection with the Dec. 23 rape and a similar rape reported about two weeks later.

Danger of strangers
National rape experts say about 30 percent of sexual assaults are perpetrated by strangers.

"First, let me say that you can never completely prevent rape,” Parrish said, "but there are things you can do to reduce your risk.”

Trust your instincts, Parrish said.

"If something just doesn’t feel right, you should get out as quickly as possible,” she said. "Unfortunately, we don’t always listen to those gut feelings.”

Women tend to talk on the cell phone when they feel vulnerable, Parrish said. And while that could help discourage a possible attack, Parrish said women should also keep in mind that it could bring a false sense of security.

"The flip side is if she is talking on the phone then that means she is not paying as much attention to her surroundings,” Parrish said.