South Carolina Sheriff: 'You Need to Protect Yourself'

By Joshua Rhett Miller

Published November 01, 2011

FoxNews.com

 

•  Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, above, made the suggestion at a news conference on Monday while detailing an attempted rape on Sunday at Milliken Park in Spartanburg.
  
  
  
  

A South Carolina sheriff is making the extraordinary suggestion that local women arm themselves following the attempted rape of a woman at a local park, saying, "you need to protect yourself."

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, the county's top law enforcement officer since 2005, suggested local women apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon during a news conference Monday about the attack on Sunday at Milliken Park in Spartanburg.

"It just struck me wrong that we keep telling everyone 'trust us, trust us, trust us,' but in reality, you need to protect yourself," Wright told FoxNews.com. "If you are not a convicted felon or someone who causes trouble or don't have any mental issues, buy a weapon to protect yourself and get some good training."

Walter Monroe Lance, 46, of Spartanburg, was charged Monday with kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and grand larceny in connection with the attack. Lance was ordered held without bond, Wright said.

Wright suggested that had the unidentified victim been armed, perhaps with a .45-caliber handgun concealed in a fanny pack, she would have stood a better chance fighting off her attacker.

"If she didn't shoot the guy, she could have at least stopped him and made him leave her alone," Wright said. "You can defend yourself."

Wright said he was "tired of looking at victims" of crimes whose perpetrators are arrested multiple times and are later released without significant jail time. Lance, for example, had been arrested more than 20 times, he said, including for offenses like rape, battery and resisting arrest. Wright characterized him as an "animal" during Monday's news conference.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/01/south-carolina-sheriff-need-to-protect-yourself/#ixzz1cwU2YwnU


Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425
samuraikaratestudio@gmail.com

Habit Versus Fear - Home Invasion

This is a guest post, from Anne Jacoby, an expert in personal safety and a domestic violence survivor....                                                                                                                                                                                                              

At ten o’clock that night, Lindsay had checked that her doors were locked, as usual, before shutting the lights off and going to bed. She assumed she was safe within the protection of her apartment walls. A typical night coupled with a typical attitude. At four o’clock in the morning, Lindsay’s night drastically changed. Her worst fear had crept out of her nightmares and forced its way into her bedroom.


“Don’t make a sound or I’ll kill you…just do exactly what I say” — a ruthless command and a lethal threat on an innocent human being.  This was not a practical joke carried out by a friend.  It was real and it was happening to Lindsay — a tall, think, ultra-feminine woman who had always thought with confidence, “It (rape) won’t happen to me.” But there he was and there she was.


While Lindsay slept a man had broken into her locked apartment and moved silently into her bedroom.  He woke her from a peaceful sleep with the forceful words, “Don’t make a sound, don’t move.”  That statement would repeat over and over in her mind for years to come.
As this angry man, a man that she had never seen before in her life — stood over her in her bedroom; made one last reminder for her not to do anything.  Lindsay’s mind raced back to her self-defense workshop that she had taken, she was reminded of the emphasis placed on fighting back in order to surprise the attacker.

• Don’t think of anything other than survival.
• Look for your window of opportunity – it may be as little as five seconds – when he is vulnerable and to use it to your advantage.
• Fight back.

And that is what she did.  She knew she needed to remain calm, assess the best time for defense, and strike.


Lindsay did just that.  As she watched his body fly across the room, Lindsay was amazed to see the shock on his face.  He was caught physically and mentally off-guard by her blow that she landed him in the chest with both of her feet, using all the force she could gather.  Lindsay had enough time to escape.  As she ran out of her apartment to get help, he ran too…not after her, but away from her.


Lindsay experienced a life-threatening situation.  It is our responsibility to ensure our own safety.  You may be wondering why Lindsay didn’t hear her intruder as there were no noises of a break-in; the man had a key from the previous tenant who lived in the apartment….previous to Lindsay. 


The landlord never changed the locks when Lindsay moved in!


Personal safety is a habit not a fear. I’ve had students tell me that their family members think that they are scared or paranoid because they lock doors even when they are home; when they go out to walk the dog and in their car.  I’ve heard many parents say that having your children’s carton images with their age and name on your vehicle window was not dangerous.  All of us in the personal safety arena agree, IT IS DANGEROUS! Ask any pedophile who wants an easy target.


The fact is, paranoia will freeze you with fear and fear is the most dangerous mindset of all.

• Trust your gut feelings, your instincts, intuition
• Be aware of your surroundings
• Establish and enforce your personal boundaries
• Exhibit confident body language
• Incorporate safety tips into your daily routine and life

The benefits of personal safety impact your entire life in a positive manner.  “An ounce of prevention is a pound of cure.”—-Benjamin Franklin


The people who tell you or call you paranoid for being aware and safe are O-B-L-I-V-I-O-U-S!
The impact of being oblivious and not facing the fact that all type of crimes and assaults are happening on a daily basis is an individual with blinders on.  Electing not be educated or taught how to be safe is just downright ludacris.

ob·liv·i·ous = unmindful; unconscious; unaware


Synonym – absent-minded (so lost in thought that one does not realize what one is doing, what is happening, etc.; preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate surroundings)

There is nothing wrong with being the brightest light bulb in the room!

What do you think?

About Anny
Anny is a Survivor of Domestic Violence with many years as a Certified Advocate. She firmly believes that EVERY female has the absolute right to protect and defend herself mentally, emotionally, spiritually and ultimately physically.

Anny received her PDR (Personal Defense Readiness) Instructor Certification in 2008. Anny is also a Steward's of Children Authorized Facilitator and Prevention Specialist who trains adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse through Darkness to Light's certification programs.

www.annyjacoby.com

www.realisticfemaleselfdefense.com

www.projectsafegirls.com

anny@annyjacoby.com

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai karate Studio

Columbia, SC 29229

Rape & Sexual Assault Statistics

Rape and Sexual Assault Statistics

(From Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminal Victimization, 2009, National Crime Victimization Survey: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=2217)

In 2009, there were 125,910 reports of rape and/or sexual assault.

More than half of rape and sexual assault crimes take place between 6pm and 6am.

Females are more likely to be victims of rape or sexual assault than males.

Most victims of rape or sexual assault are females younger than 24 years of age.

Most rapes committed against women are committed by an intimate partner (spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend) or someone else they know (friend, family member, acquaintance).

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425