TN - Woman raped & stabbed at Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park, suspect sought, 2012

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Suspect sought in Great Smokies assault


From Joe Sutton, CNN

updated 7:35 AM EDT, Wed June 13, 2012



The National Park Service released this sketch of the man who assaulted a woman on the Gatlinburg Trail on June 8.



STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Woman sexually assaulted, stabbed in park outside Gatlinburg
$5,000 reward offered; suspect described as white male in his 40s
Agents, rangers pore over leads in Friday's incident

(CNN) -- Authorities searched Tuesday for a man they say sexually assaulted and stabbed a lone hiker at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

The National Park Service released a sketch and offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator in Friday afternoon's assault on Gatlinburg Trail near the city of the same name.
<modsnip>

The suspect was described as a white male in his 40s, of thin build, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a dirty blond crew cut and a thin mustache. He was wearing glasses, black dress pants and a gray T-shirt. Multiple tattoos include an unknown word across his abdomen.

The hiker suffered multiple stab wounds on her neck, shoulder and hand. She was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where she was released Sunday.

Read more
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/12/justice/tennessee-smokies-assault/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
 
Um, considering we are vacationing down there in about 1 1/2 weeks, this seriously creeps me out.
 
A woman hiking in the woods alone needs one piece of equipment, a hand gun, one she knows how to use and will use. There are 2 legged and 4 legged critters out there, the 2 legged are the worst, they choose to do harm.
 
Years ago didn't the same thing happen in that area only the woman was murdered/died?

these days you just can't do certain things alone anymore and I agree with Jacie.
 
A woman hiking in the woods alone needs one piece of equipment, a hand gun, one she knows how to use and will use. There are 2 legged and 4 legged critters out there, the 2 legged are the worst, they choose to do harm.

It is illegal to take a firearm into a national park. If this woman had done so, she would have been arrested after the medical treatment. I know it isn't fair, and if she had had a gun and killed this monster, she might have been charged with murder. It is so discouraging that people, men or women, can no longer hike alone. The alternative is to hike in groups and not wander off alone in an area where there are not other people.
 
As a hiker who has done quite a few solo hikes, and was planning to do some more section hiking of the Appalaichan trail this year, this infuriates me. :furious:

I have hardly ever felt unsafe while on the trail alone. I can think of fewer than five incidents where I got the creeps, and even then it was probably over active imagination, but still was able to make myself safer by joining up with or shadowing a group on he trail or at lean-tos or camp sites.

All it takes is one incident like this to keep women off the trail, because the sense of safety is no longer there.
 
It is illegal to take a firearm into a national park. If this woman had done so, she would have been arrested after the medical treatment. I know it isn't fair, and if she had had a gun and killed this monster, she might have been charged with murder. It is so discouraging that people, men or women, can no longer hike alone. The alternative is to hike in groups and not wander off alone in an area where there are not other people.

I would rather face charges than be raped/murdered BUT for the record:

Concealed Firearms Regulations
As of February 22, 2010, a new federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in this park. It is the responsibility of visitors to understand and comply with all applicable state, local, and federal firearms laws before entering this park.


http://yoursmokies.blogspot.com/2010/02/are-guns-legal-in-great-smoky-mountains.html

Gun owners, go ahead and pack heat along with that camping gear.

A new federal law goes in effect Monday that makes it legal to carry a firearm in most national parks in the United States.


http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Guns-Now-Legal-at-National-Parks-84930387.html
 
I would rather face charges than be raped/murdered BUT for the record:

Concealed Firearms Regulations
As of February 22, 2010, a new federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in this park. It is the responsibility of visitors to understand and comply with all applicable state, local, and federal firearms laws before entering this park.


http://yoursmokies.blogspot.com/2010/02/are-guns-legal-in-great-smoky-mountains.html

Gun owners, go ahead and pack heat along with that camping gear.

A new federal law goes in effect Monday that makes it legal to carry a firearm in most national parks in the United States.


http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Guns-Now-Legal-at-National-Parks-84930387.html

That's good to know. I did google it before I posted but maybe the site I read was out of date. Thanks.
 
That is interesting, I'd had no idea they changed the weapons law for the parks either.
 
We do a lot of back country camping and never go without a gun. Never had any threatening people come into our camp but have had a mountain lion walk in in Utah. Fortunately, it stared and walked away.

The thing about carrying a gun is you have to know how and when to use it and also not use it.
 
Does this have some connection to the Holly Bobo case, and other abduction attempts in the surrounding areas? I cross-referenced the article to the Holly Bobo thread.
 
Years ago didn't the same thing happen in that area only the woman was murdered/died?

these days you just can't do certain things alone anymore and I agree with Jacie.

I can't remember the name, but there were 3 victims. I THINK a young woman who went hiking (maybe on New Year's Day) with her dog and then an elderly couple. The older transient was found and sentenced. I think it was within the last 5 years.
 

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