European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse A est available gov. Aggravated assault the trauma lingers by Carolyn Skorneck associated press people stare at the scars on his Throat As he Waits in grocery store Check out lines. Sometimes they ask if he has a cold. Sometimes they ask if he fought in Vietnam. I to never served in Vietnam but he tells people he did because lie knows from experience that they won t want the truth. The truth is eight years ago a stranger jammed a Aniio into ins gut spilling the intestines out of his slight fiame then Slit his Iii oat As he Lay calling for help. It s to a de tails poop o Don t want to Hoar a details that still i tie him causing his hands to shake urn onto it in calling attention to nails bitten Down to Roll him j. V by father is just one of several i. A i i o a a Auti in. V 1 ii. I. I 1 Uiva to lid his t to by he a i a Tisot he t. A,.r, of a i.-11 a Aii. 3 Yim ukr Vnek ii rail a i. A Quot a a v Lituri , Kui tin i Dunbar of a a i c a. K u of Vilii g. Kiai it i cd of Oiver. My ilk to i at. The jaws of death is something that is very rough to Deal with a said John Stein Deputy director of the National organization for victims assistance. Some 559,270 people a roughly the population of Columbus Ohio a were injured in aggravated assaults in the United states last year alone according to the National crime Survey. The Survey found that 1.1 million others were victims of an attempted aggravated assault with a weapon a a gunshot flew by them for example. On the night of june 6,1982, Roberts was on leave from the Navy and interested mainly in getting in a last Day of scuba diving before his aircraft Carrier departed in two Days. He was pitching a tent in a Park when two strangers struck up a conversation. They seemed Friendly enough. Then without warning one of them stabbed Roberts in the Abdomen and ran off with his scuba gear wedding ring and $4 in Cash. Quot when i thought he was gone i started to holier for to in a Roberts said a catch in his now Raspy voice. A the came Back through the Woods and he tilted my head lock and Slit my Throat twice. And then he tied my feet to Wilder and my hands i wok to two Roberts e wot svy a wort of use dragged himself 250 feet to a dirt a sad hold a in his intestines and pissing in Ida love j hich f in keep die blood Isom c-p1 Quot Ting oui. It do in airy arrived tie next morning. R to spent 10 months in the Hospital undergoing at least 10 Pom Iio i is. 1 i Cigar Loci Over when he emerged from the hos Oita april 18, 198j. Quot i used to take a gun with me wherever i went Quot he said. Quot i was scared to in the next two years Roberts moved his family six times. Quot something would happen something would trigger me and wed be gone a he said. They stopped running five years ago in Rural Maryland so their Eider daughter could Start school and enjoy a semblance of a Normal life. Four years ago Roberts and his wife had a second daughter. In the meantime his attacker pleaded guilty to attempted murder and served six years of a 10-year sentence before being freed As a Model prisoner. Roberts still fears him a even though he believes his fear is irrational. He also insisted that the assailants name not be used in part because he does no to want to antagonize him. Even now Roberts Home is guarded by a Large loud dog nicknamed Norad. At night their Home is awash in Light. Two sheriffs deputies live across the Street. Roberts and his wife never employ baby filters because they done to Trust strangers. The attack destroyed Roberts career plans. Tin Hwy discharged him involuntarily because he could s perform his Job. A a Desper ate to catch up for time lost Roberts p 1.1 d himself too far. He has had a drinking pro Hiom ii. Ont two months in a payer Wiatric Hospital ast year. A Mcuay he 1, is More slowly Roach co a 1 11 diving Only part time like attending co Liege. And after years of shying away from the world he now tells his Story to police groups hoping to sensitize officers to victims needs. D Efi Nirta assault by Carolyn Skorneck associated press what is an aggravated assault it depends on who is talking. What one police officer Calls aggravated assault May be Only a simple assault to another and an encounter not even Worth reporting to a third. Quot in each state the definition of aggravated assault varies widely a said Richard. Bennett a professor of Justice at american University. Quot in some states it s any threat with a weapon other than a fist Quot he said. Quot elsewhere it s a fist. In some states it has to be an injury visible on the outside internal bleeding wont even the Justice departments two major measures of National crime done to quite agree. The of big a uniform crime reports defines it As an Quot unlawful attack. For the purpose of inflicting severe aggravated bodily the assault usually involves a weapon a Means Likely to produce death great bodily the Fri also throws in attempted assault. The National crime Survey meanwhile defines it As Quot attack with a weapon irrespective of whether not there was injury and attack without a weapon resulting either in serious injury for example broken Bones loss of Teeth internal injuries loss of consciousness an undetermined injury requiring two More Days of hospitalization. Also includes attempted assault with a the Fri report includes Only crimes reported to police. The National crime Survey which annually interviews people who live in about 49,000 Homes and apartments learns of Many More crimes that police never hear about. And in part because they Are put together differently the two surveys disagree about whether More americans have been assaulted in the last decade. The Fri report says the rate of aggravated assault and attempted aggravated assault zoomed up 28.4 percent during the decade to a new High of 383 for every 100,000 people. The National crime Survey however says the rate dropped 8 6 percent to 850 per 100,000. Crr a a a 11 s mls Quot no a Oak a Gnu a n 1-�i Mil Pago 14 a a a the stars and stripes monday 0 victim is a piece of evidence a said Andrew i criminal Justice instructor at Wor wic tech Lily College and a former Maryland police officer a arranged some of Roberts talks. Indy survived you had a Good Case. He could j testify against the perpetrator a Turner said Long to see a Guy healed up but still needing ii support. Is finds the speeches therapeutic despite the Lake and he has established a network of to will help him when he cracks from the Strain a portent to Roberts that he controls the Impact Lack and not the other Way around but he a Quot it has Given my life a different Lieres yet another fear aids. A had numerous blood transfusions in 1982, Lood was tested for the deadly disease and he lobe tested now. Inc re to die of it Quot he said with a Grimace Quot i 1 to know about mass transit terror a of i in sift j m n by Calvin Sims new York times before she enters the subway Victoria Rodriguez 47, a nurse from new York City a Borough of Queens turns her rings upside Down tucks her Gold chains inside her Blouse and pulls out what she thinks is the most effective weapon against subway Crim her Bible. And Rodriguez said she is an atheist. Once inside a subway car Rodriguez who said she normally dresses All in White opens the Bible and places it on her Lap. �?�1 try to look religious like god will punish you if you bother me Quot she said. Quot and it Johnnie Mae Basile 39, who rides to ios it Ianc-.t t Light to work of a bakery takas a different approx Ich i i a commuting. She frowns constantly and con ies a 6 Inch switch bade knife in her purse for Protection. .-<#5 a Quot i done to like carrying a knife and Hope to never use Ost violent for 1989_ 10 most violent american cities based on their i aggravated assaults and attempted aggravated its per 100,000 population. Anta 21.4 6 Boston 11.2 Louis 19.6 7 Detroit 10.6 it Angeles 12.6 8 Dallas 10.3 Scago 12.6 9 Kansas City 10.3 t and ore., 11,6 10 new York City 9.6 ported to police and listed in the Fri s uniform Ino ports for 1989. 0 1 0�l cd o i a 31 o it Quot she said Quot but i have no Oiler fear is not new among those who use the hew York subway particularly those who find themselves isolated on a lonely platform in a deserted station on an empty car where it is poorly lighted and without police Protection. Common As it is though the fear Felt by Many riders has grown in the Wake of the fatal stabbing of a 22-year-old tourist from Utah in the seventh Avenue station in Manhattan. The killing was the 18th in the subways this year two Short of the total for All of 1989. Some new yorkers say the killings along with a Sharp Rise in robberies and assaults have driven them above ground. They walk now take buses and taxis. But for millions the subway system remains the Only the fastest Way to get around town so most grit their Teeth Many themselves with everything from guns to scowls and All try to Cope. George Williams 29, of the Bronx who works for an investment Bank in lower Manhattan said he no longer reads the Wall Street journal on the subway because a gang of youths in the Bronx once robbed him after they saw him Reading the newspaper. To the youths he said the journal was a sign that he had Money and that he would not fight Back. A once i get to the Bronx its strictly the tabloids which make you look Street smart Quot Williams said. Annie Chadwick 37, an actress said she heeds her own set of rules when Riding the subway. Quot i will not get on the trains late at night if there Are no other people in the car Quot she said As she waited for a train with her 3-year-old daughter Abigail at the it station at w. 72nd Street and Broadway. Quot if i am robbed Quot she added Quot ill give them anything they want but if they Hurt my daughter i d fight Back no matter what the Joseph Hardy 22, a bus boy who takes the subway Home to the East new York Section of Brooklyn in the Early morning said he carries a Small handgun in his gym bag for Protection. Quot no in a not going to pull the gun out Here in the open Quot he said while Riding the train at 1 30 . Quot but its in Here and ill use it if i have Gene Russianoff a spokesman for the strap hangers Campaign an advocacy group for mass transit riders said the precautions some riders take Quot Are real Street smarts a survival skills Learned Over a lifetime of living in a Tough Quot but things like wearing garlic the sign of the Cross Are fairly dubious in actually preventing crime Quot he said. Quot however they do make people feel less endangered and threatened while on the trains and that s transit officials Are reminding people to follow several safety tips in the subway like sitting in groups standing in Quot off hour Quot wailing areas near Token Booths sitting in either the first Middle cars of the train where there is a conductor Motorman who can Call the transit police for help and not wearing expensive flashy jewelry and clothing. Many riders Are reluctant to use the waiting areas near the Token Booths because they fear they will miss their train said detective James Mcl Lugof the transit to too Cimic prevention a it n. Dei Hooi unto get Lor help us Quot a n in systems in Anim in is about to i ill into the slain is. Merit i i so i ii iat a to. Ier Wio / about to be Jeci d Ano ask u 0. Utas 1 sic the detective sties a a Hicie a conc who accosted by a thief gang of thieves a on. Immediately turn Over blvd is dome m 0 i ,01 div to resist. Instead of trying to foil a Rabi k a he said a subway rider should take note 01 what tie thief looks like and give the description to the police. The new York City subway system is much safer than most people think transit police officials said. On any Given Day about 3.5 million people use the subway and Only about 45 of them a of victims of a felony crime about half of which Are robberies the officials said. Quot we Are dealing with a perception problem hero Quot said William Bratton chief of the transit police Quot but i want to assure people that we Are doing everything we can to make the system he said the number of robbery arrests in the subway had increased 25 percent from january to june compared with the same period last year. And More undercover officers Are now Riding the subways he said. Russianoff of the strap hangers Campaign said that while he agreed that the chances of being robbed assaulted in the subway Are relatively Small there has been a Large increase in subway crime in the last year and that transit officials have done Little to educate the Public about safety. In the first six months of 1990, the number of felonies committed in the subways Rose 17 percent to 8,977 felonies compared with 7,663 felonies in the first half of 1989. Robberies jumped 23 percent to 4,518 in the first half of 1990, compared with 3,663 in the same period last year. New yorkers interviewed in the subways said that after years of Riding the trains they have Learned several unwritten safety rules like not making Eye Contact with other riders and ignoring strangers who strike up conversations make nuisances of themselves. Sometimes though ignoring a situation proves hard to do. A 25-year-old lawyer Riding on the Lexington Avenue no. 4 train recently demanded that two teen agers turn off their blaring radio and they complied she said. The lawyer who asked that her name not be published said Quot i was thinking to myself i have lived Here All my life and if you can to even take a subway ride without people blasting the radio then the hell with a amps Wes Booher Saga the stars and stripes Page 15
