STATE-OWNED VICTIM ZONE (again): Woman assaulted, robbed at rest stop
Deja vu.
Last April, NewsNet5 reported a woman in her mid-20s was attacked in the bathroom at rest area off Interstate 77 in Summit County. In that report, which was also picked up by WKYC and the Akron Beacon Journal at the time, troopers said attacks at rest stops are "incredibly rare".
"I can't recall where we've had anything of this nature happen at one of these facilities. Thousands of people use the facilities each year. We never have any problems," said Lt. George T. Maier in April.
IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN.
A live-at-the-scene WKYC news report last night (NBC 3 Cleveland) from Summit Co. reported that a 22-year old Canton woman was knocked to the ground, assaulted and robbed behind a rest stop building yesterday. Click here to view the December 2 report in streaming video.
The attack occurred in broad daylight, which the news report says has state troopers "concerned." The suspect is still at large.
In addition to the usual warnings to "be aware of your surroundings", one WKYC anchor says the solution being offered by the state is "crucial":
The state will be installing surveillance cameras next week at this particular rest stop, located on I-271 South in Richfield Twp. According to the report, the state owns 47 rest stop facilities, and will be putting cameras up at some of the newer ones.
Can they honestly believe an attacker brave enough to assault a woman in broad daylight in a public area would be deterred at all to know his crime was being captured on a camera? What kind of solution is this except to give investigators photos to go along with the battered victim?
Ohio law restricts concealed handgun license (CHL)-holders from carrying concealed inside publicly-owned buildings, such as this rest stop. And although the law does NOT restrict open carry in these places, the signs that the state Attorney General's office provides for state facilities erroneously state that ALL firearms are prohibited "anywhere on these premises", and does not differentiate between openly and concealed firearms.
Until Ohio's Right to Carry law is fixed, and as the following email from the Ohio Attorney General notes, potential victims will be forced to make the choice between self-protection and the potential for false arrest by the anti-self-defense OSHP:
- While it is legal for a person to carry a weapon openly some law enforcement agencies have said such actions may prompt an arrest for inducing panic, a misdemeanor.
It is impossible to say if any particular officer will cause problems for any particular person at any particular time, but carrying openly in a rest area – while within the bounds of law – may still result in difficulties.
Mark Gribben
Director of Constituent Services
Office of Attorney General Jim Petro
According to the 2003 National Crime Victimization Survey, 93% of violent crimes against innocent citizens last year were carried out without the criminal use of a firearm. 96% of rapes and 75% of robberies were committed by criminals without firearms.
For all rapes, woman who resisted with a gun were 2.5 times more likely to escape without injury than those who did not resist, and 4 times more likely to escape uninjured than those who resisted with any means other than a gun.” (Southwick, Journal of Criminal Justice, 2000)
So why is the anti-gunners' answer to violence is to make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to obtain firearms, or the right to bear them for self-defense?
Ohio law should be amended so as to not render travelers defenseless at rest stops.
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Why does Ohio law prohibit self-defense at rest stops?
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