Listening to the little voice inside, avoiding distractions and reporting strangers are among self-defense tips offered by local experts following a Crestview woman’s reported assault in her driveway.
CRESTVIEW — A Crestview woman who reported being assaulted in the driveway of her home in the John King Road area is using her experience to warn other women.
The woman said she was unloading groceries from the trunk of her car on July 26 when the suspect appeared at the end of her driveway and asked if she needed assistance.
When she returned from carrying the first load into her home, the man charged her and tried to push her into the trunk, according to a Crestview Police Department incident report.
During the attack, the victim reported she broke free and ran to a neighbor’s home. The incident remains under investigation.
She shared her experience with other women at an Aug. 8 women’s self-defense course hosted by Gordon Martial Arts. Academy owner Tom Gordon said one of the first rules of personal safety is to be aware of one’s surroundings and “listen to the little voice inside.”
GUT INSTINCT
“There’s a reason why you have a good instinct,” Gordon said. “Woman’s intuition — or gut feeling, whatever you want to call it — when it kicks in, it’s time to go in a different direction.”
“Unfortunately a lot of people ignore it, whether they want to be polite or things of that nature,” course co-instructor Amanda Jeffries said. “She (the victim of the assault) said she had a feeling that things were just not right. We encourage women to follow that gut instinct.”
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office crime prevention specialist Ashley Bailey said studies show women are more in tune to that “gut instinct” than men.
“But we are less likely to go with it because we don’t want to come across and helpless or weak,” Bailey said. “We always teach, safety first. Go with that feeling.”
MULTIPLE RESOURCES
Bailey said sheriff’s office women’s self-defense courses teach women to have multiple defense resources, and to always have at least one readily available.
“Not just your Kubotan. Not just pepper spray. Not just firearms,” Bailey said. “I call my purse my Mary Poppins bag because ladies carry everything and the kitchen sink with them. You may not have time to rummage in your bag for your Kubotan,” she said, referring to the 5-inch self-defense stick.
One of the best defenses is to avoid distractions, be aware of people around you and let potential assailants know you see them, Jeffries said.
“These days we are so technologically involved that we don’t look up from our phones,” she said. “Your priorities should be keeping your eyes open, walking around and making eye contact. You’re a lot less likely to be attacked if your attacker thinks he can be identified.”
Sometimes, she said, that includes describing a suspicious person to whoever’s on the phone, or pretending to, Jeffries said.
“You can say, ‘I’m out walking and there’s this creepy looking guy nearby. He’s 5-foot-10 and wearing a blue sweatshirt,’” Jeffries said. “You can say it even if you’re not talking to anybody. He doesn’t know nobody’s on the phone with you.”
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
Crestview Police Lt. Andrew Schneider said assaults and other crimes can be prevented if residents report suspicious individuals to law enforcement as soon as they see them.
“You know your neighbors, you see them out walking their dogs or washing their cars,” Schneider said. “If you see something or someone out of the ordinary, report it to law enforcement because it makes it easier for us to do our jobs.
“If somebody had seen this person (in the July 26 assault) in the neighborhood and reported it, we could have responded and been out there.”
“You should feel safe in your own yard,” Gordon said. “This was her neighborhood. She was busy thinking about her ice cream melting, like we all do, and she was distracted.
“My kudos to her were, she had enough wherewithal to see that gap and make a break for it.”
Schneider said it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“If they’re loitering for no reason, always contact law enforcement,” Schneider said. “I would rather get there and realize there was nothing to it than arrive too late.”
WHAT TO DO
Area self-defense experts and law enforcement officers offer these tips to avoid being an assault victim:
• Listen to your gut instinct, even if you feel you might be rude or appear weak
• Be aware of your surroundings
• Make potential attackers know you can identify them
• Avoid being distracted
• If you carry defensive instruments, make sure at least one is readily available
• Report unfamiliar or suspicious people in your neighborhood to law enforcement
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: “Stop the Bully” children's self-defense seminar
WHEN: 10-11:30 a.m. Sept. 12
WHERE: Gordon Martial Arts, 130 Oakdale Ave. West
COST: Free
NOTES: Family martial arts academy arms children with the emotional, mental, physical and verbal skills to deal with bullies
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview self-defense experts offer tips to avoid being an assault victim