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Woman recovering after being stabbed early Thursday morning

Submitted by WWAY on Fri, 07/25/2008 - 4:07pm.READ MORE:

A woman is recovering in the hospital after being brutally attacked early Thursday morning in downtown Wilmington. Police are looking for whoever is responsible. The 24-year-old Wilmington woman was walking alone around 1 a.m. Thursday when she was sexually assaulted and stabbed several times. It happened in a church courtyard at Third and Market Streets. Police are investigating. WPD spokesperson Lucy Crockett says it is early to talk about the investigation, but they expect to make good progress. Whoever committed the crime is facing charges of attempted first degree rape and assault with a deadly weapon. Crockett said in no way did the victim cause what happened, but does want to remind people to avoid walking alone at night. "It's important for everyone to remember that we live in a city, and it's a great city and it offers a lot, but like all city dwellers, we have to take certain precautions and we need to be aware of our surroundings. We need to exercise caution," said Crockett. Police are giving the victim time to recover before questioning her about what she remembers. That part of town is highly populated, so police hope witnesses will come forward. If you know anything about the attack, call the Wilmington Police Department at 910-343-3600.

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Self-Awareness in Downtown Wilmington, NC!

Submitted by Dwight Privette (not verified) on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 10:47pm.

Hello! I feel very sorry for what happened to the female, who was raped, according to the Star News and Channel 3 News. Officer Crocket is right. People need to pick up there "self-awareness" a little more! Whether it's at the grocery store parking lot with your child or just parking your car at night! I would suggest people parking their vehicles under a "well" lit area. Avoid parking at Water Street at night or under the old Front Street Parking deck at the Water Street entrance. Those places aren't the safest! Also, most definately do not attempt to walk by yourself if you are under the influence of alcohol to the degree that you can not walk properly or function well! Futhermore, people like talking on their cell phones while they walk down the side walks to their vehicles. Doing this makes them an easy target for stalkers or potential rapist to strike! However, in any case of an emergency do keep your cell phone fully charged!

Keep your cellphone charged.....

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 9:08am.

... a round chambered and two spare magazines on your hip. While it has nothing to do with police nonfeasance, Downtown is a very dangerous swine-pit after dark. It is only because of my training, experience, and the fact that I'm armed that I go there when required....and I still don't like it! The best advice is to avoid the area completely after dark. If you must go there, be totally aware of your surroundings, look for potential problem areas (recessed doorways, parked cars with people in them, etc), and be ready to defend your life if needed. If you have doubts about your ability to defend yourself, STAY HOME!

Take a good look

Submitted by Guest121212 (not verified) on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 8:35am.

To any of you who actually think that the WPD "doesn't care", or "cares more about themselves than the citizens of Wilmington," then I challenge you to go on a ride-along, JUST ONE, any night in the West side districts and see for yourself how the police handle things. They respond to more domestic violence calls and petty disputes, patroling common drug areas, than you obviously can imagine. And if you think the department is ill-equipped, you're right. For some reason it isn't viewed as beneficial to make a budget that can handle the requirements of a well-equipped force. There aren't enough officers. And so when Joe or Jane Smoe have two officers tied up with a ridiculous call, then YES, you will see other officers scrambling from other districts to handle a more serious call. My point is, don't knock the system until you understand it, its complications and how it works.

I disagree

Submitted by D.W. (not verified) on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 7:40pm.

...to a certain degree. I've lived downtown for five years and everytime I or a neighbor have been vitimized in anyway, we were made to feel like we'd done something wrong. Comments like,"that's what you get for living downtown,"or," this wouldn't have happened if you.....", don't do a whole lot to make you feel like the police care. I even had a friend be told, after being mugged and was bleeding from the head, that he needed to back away from the police officer as she pulled out her baton. He was standing five feet from her. If the police in this town don't want the reputation they have, then they made want to stop treating victims as criminals. On the other hand, I have a lot of friends that are police officers and I do understand that everyone doesn't have the same experiences that I've had. That being said, personal experience does lead to lasting opinions.

I AGREE!

Submitted by Dwight (not verified) on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 11:56pm.

I have participated in ride along programs before with Wilmington PD and I know how tough it is for Officer's to respond to certain calls. Numerous amounts of calls come in thru 911 dispatch for police officer's to respond to that consist of burglar alarms, vehicle accidents, auto theft, property vandalism, larceny of a business, bank robbery calls, domestic violence calls, calls of deadly assualt with a weapon, calls from a neighborhood with a complaint about a disturbance that could range from loud parties, loud music, shouting, yelling, and screaming from a house or street. Other calls received could come in as a "threat/scare", such as bomb threat, anthrax threat/scare, suicide threat hostage situation, or any other hazardeous human environmental threat! Add all of these calls in at one time and that can describe the daily function involved in a police department! Not to mention that when a police officer arrests someone and takes them to jail there will be a lot of paper work for that officer to do as well! Keep in mind that police officer's make life threatening calls their NUMBER ONE PRIORITY! If people wouldn't drive drunk and if people wouldn't call 911 for NON-EMERGENCIES it would lessen the load of police officer's. IF IT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY, THEN CALL 910-343-3600 or 910-452-6120! Have a safe weekend!

Wilmington and Crime

Submitted by Guestdisgusted (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 9:45pm.

I've lived in Wilmington for over 10 years and there's been an alarming increase in crime of all kinds. Rather than take swipes at each other for comments made on this website, wouldn't it be more effective to bring pressure on the Mayor and Police Chief to increase police presence in Wilmington and surrounding areas? Surely, if more complaints about the increase in crime and concerns about same are voiced to the proper people--especialy Sid Causey--something just might be done to improve the situation. If you, and your neighbors, sent in letters, made phone calls to ask what plans are being made to reduce crime, etc., maybe your voices will be heard. For sure, the crime rate is awful.

REPLY to Wilmington and Crime article

Submitted by corrupt system (not verified) on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 6:21pm.

I agree with you 100 percent. Anyone who has not noticed the increase and crime and the ineffectiveness of the WPD and NHCSD needs to open their eyes. The more these elected officials hear about this, they might actually do something about it. The mayor and the ENTIRE police department could really care less as long as the are meeting quotas for traffic violations and DUIs instead of preventing violent acts such as this. After all these items generate money for the city, county, etc. It costs money to process, detain, and try these criminals. The city would rather buy more traffic cameras instead of 'protecting public safety" and that makes me sick. I know of many people who have been beaten, mugged, robbed, and harassed including myself. I was robbed at gunpoint on 3rd street during the 4th of July last year. How many of you were downtown on nights like this... I refused to live in such crime infested place, so I have since left the Port City. Good luck Causey, you're gonna need it...

that is too easy

Submitted by guesty on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 11:08pm.

We don't have quotas, we can write as many tickets as we please. A few more and I'll get that new toaster.

Stupidity rules

Submitted by Guestwilmingtonforstupid people (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 6:11pm.

Go downtown after dark...stupid. It's the 78th most dangerous city in America!

I knew her, she was not

Submitted by just an aquantenece (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 11:42am.

I knew her, she was not poor, or lonely, or whatever else yall have said. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And market and thrid is not that far off the beaten path anyways. Allways walk in groups late at night!!! no matter what city you are in!!

It's a free country - yes.

Submitted by Guest37 (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 1:44am.

It's a free country - yes. You can walk at 1 am if you want - yes. Can the police be on every street at every minute to make sure your ok - no. Wilmington has a high crime rate along with some other bigger cities in the state. We all know it or should. Is walking in town at 1 am alone the safest or smartest thing to do - no and we really all know that to. The Police Dept is doing a great job. Don't put your lack of common sense off on them.

To slack

Submitted by 910 (not verified) on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 7:18pm.

Wow.. Public Defendant be surely speaking one sided.. The first post is correct.. Criminals are not afraid in Wilmington because the cops are slackers and criminals are not afraid. My thoughts go out to the victim. They should hang whomever did that to her. Bring back marshal law..! An eye for an eye.

wilmington crime

Submitted by fed up (not verified) on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 4:55pm.

it seems lately that the wilmington police dept. is really on the job.... or not. i myself live on chestnut st near where this and many other crimes have taken place lately, and from what i can see they dont really care about this side of town. i have had to call them sevreal times about crime on my street and they have responded with minimal concern. one night i waited at least 20 minutes for them to arrive. even last night a man was MURDERED behind my house and there treating it like its no big deal, just another shooting in the ghetto. i guess im just to the point where i see all this crime going on and rarely see the police take action. its amaizing the amount of drug dealing and crime in general that goes on here, and nothing is done about it. i myself am a supporter of law inforcment here in wilmington, but i think its time we star focusing more on the real crime that leads to viloence and DEATH. i think its time we as a community stand together and DEMAND that the city and police dept do somthing about this. im fed up,,, what about you?

The police aren't the problem....

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 10:56pm.

...and the police aren't going to solve the problems of your neighborhood. Only you and your neighbors can do that. When you stop accepting drug dealing and armed robbery as viable career choices, when you stop viewing violent criminal activity as just another personality quirk, when you stop viewing the police as your enemy and start reporting criminal activity, the area "West of Sixteenth" may lose its Wild West status. You could finally have a peaceful place to live.

crime in Wilm.

Submitted by Knows better (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 10:55am.

And just where do YOU live, not downtown I'm sure, so that you could see the crime first hand and realize you can't stop the crime as a citizen by just refusing to accept criminal behavior as normal. Take a look around, just because you "decide" not to accept certain things in your life, doesn't mean it won't go on for others! You need a serious reality check. There are decent and not so decent people dwelling in every corner of Wilmington, but downtown seems to be a magnet because as stated in previous emails, the City Police are NOT out in the streets as much as they should be, NO, wait, let me rephrase that, they are not in the AREAS they should be. I am so tired of seeing Wilmington Police speeding down 3rd street, (with NO lights on) only to get thru the next light. It's truly disappointing. It's almost like NOBODY has to follow the rules. I won't be surprised when crime in Wilmington turns in to a free frawl. We're almost there.

I had a serious "reality check" forty years ago

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 6:10pm.

I realized that there was no future in living among drug dealers, thieves, and mafioso. I vowed to never live in a city once I had a choice, and since I retired from my first career I've lived up to that promise I made to myself. I have turned down offers of lucrative promotions because they required moving to Raleigh, Charlotte, or Atlanta. Have you ever wondered if the police simply give up on trying to help neighborhoods that won't help themselves? When you fear being called a snitch more than your kids having to walk past the corner drug dealers every day, then I submit that you are the architect of your neighborhood's ruin. When you recognize the robber in the security tape on the news, but won't call the police to tip them off, don't be upset when he robs your store or breaks into your house. When your sixteen year-old son comes home at 4 AM, loaded on god-knows-what and packing a pistol, don't be surprised when the police are knocking on your door with a death notification next month because he was just a bit slow. If the police aren't doing anything to "clean up your neighborhood," it's because the people that live there don't WANT them to clean it up.

Police Serve Well

Submitted by PoliGuest (not verified) on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 3:51pm.

Wilmington has an effective and dedicated police force if you take the time to evaluate. First, Chief Evangelous has the experience and perspective, and I feel charcter, heads above what we've had in the past. The force responds quickly and professionally. Downtown has the same problems as any city, and now we have a HUGE weekend "nightlife" scene, which has to be an added challenge. From what I see the officers are there to protect the public, without abusive attitude. And woman should NEVER walk alone late at night, especially in a very dark and secluded area like the churchyard of the attack. Lone women in secluded areas are targets, and it seems, always will be.

Not safe

Submitted by Guest654321 (not verified) on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 9:10am.

Wilmington is not safe anymore. Authorities did nothing to stop illegal immigrants from making camp here, are helping the homeless to be made comfortable and are too scared to sweep up crime in public housing areas. Law Enforcement in this town is too scared to fight crime, and therefor crime has flourished. a WPD cop AND area deputies would rather hand out a speeding ticket these days to make extra revenue to pay for gasoline than to focus on the real crime. It is a pitty this young woman will need to suffer the rest of her life because police cannot even secure a two mile radius around their original camp. My heart goes out to this young woman and I do hope the perp is caught and casterated.

You can't blame law enforcement

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 1:19pm.

The police cannot be everywhere at every single moment in time. You have to be prepared to take care of yourself, and the first step in that is not doing careless things that expose you and announce to the world "Hey, look at me! I'm a great victim." You don't leave your doors unlocked. You don't leave your keys in the ignition of your parked car. And you most assuredly don't walk around dark, urban streets at 1 AM by yourself. I am usually described as a "big, muscular guy," but I wouldn't walk around downtown alone and unarmed! When I'm down there at night, you can bet that there's a .45 automatic on my hip. The problem isn't scared law enforcement officers, the problem is too many criminals. Just like the settlers in the Old West, you can't count on the marshal or the sheriff to chase away the bad guys. You had better be ready to take care of yourself at a moment's notice. Now if you want to blame the legislature and the courts for allowing the explosion of free-range criminals, I'll agree with you 100%.

Horrible

Submitted by Public Defendant (not verified) on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 11:38am.

This is a horrible reminder that Wilmington is not safe-especially for young women, late at night. HOWEVER. It is not the local authorities that have allowed illegal immigrants and homeless people to "take up camp," it's the bleeding hearts that continue to feed the homeless and the people that employ the illegal immigrants so that they make money and can stay. We do not have enough police officers and sherrifs to cover all of New Hanover County. Why? Because we pay less than most semi-large cities and do not have that great of a benefits plan for these guys. They basically get paid on par with the people who bill us for water. Would you want to risk your life for that small of an amount of money? Nope. Our law enforcement do the best that they can. Obviously, the former writer has been given quite a few speeding tickets and has a bit of leftover road rage that is misdirected at law enforcement. NO SPEEDING=NO TICKET. I hope the young woman recovers and has plenty of friends and family to help her heal.

Wow, you guys seriously are

Submitted by 5YearsILM (not verified) on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 2:31pm.

Wow, you guys seriously are going to bring illegal immigrants into this argument. You are naive and are likely part of the problem in this town. What is the problem? The "good ole boys network"... taking care of their own without regard for the overall community. Neglect the poor, neglect the college kids, but make sure that old money and new money and especially film money are coddled. I have lived here for 5 years. I am a classy lady and have never used drugs or hung around with a "bad" crowd. Yet I have 5 police reports downtown. I have had 4 crimes committed against me that were serious enough for myself (or others) to file the report and I was wrongly accused of one crime (it was quickly dismissed, but still a costly hassle and still mars my record as a dismissed charge). I have had something put in my drink and ended up in the ER. A separate time, I had something else in my drink and woke up being sexually assaulted (not intercourse). I had my house intentionally crashed into by a car from a drunken neighbor's boyfriend trying to kill her. I was mugged downtown. Oh, I forgot one, downtown one night a car crashed into me as she was trying to escape someone trying to kill her (according to the police who explained the situation) by shattering her window with an axe and trying to crawl through as she was pulling out of the parking lot. I don't know why I stay here. There are no jobs anymore. Look at today's paper for an example. There are about 1/10th of new job postings that there were this time last year. Nothing that is broken ever gets fixed. The sewers are a disaster. I know nothing about town management, city planning, and especially not about hydrology/meterology... but I am smart enough to realize that when your sewers have trees growing out of them there is nowhere for storm water to go. God help us during the next hurricane... we've been spared so far but look at how badly we are damaged during a simple rain storm. I truly feel horrible for this woman. I wish her peace. I hope that this story finally gives light to the problem that most of us have seen since we were inaugerated into the community with our first victim's report. This is what happens when society starts to prefer one group over another. You left the college kids and the poor kids to fend for themselves... and the predators came in and took advantage of the situation. Shame on you Wilmington. In all of the places I've lived, this is by far the most ill-equipped to respond to the needs of its citizens.

As we say in the South.....

Submitted by guest2008 on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 11:36pm.

"Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!!" You want to complain, then go somewhere else! I have lived in Wilmington all my life and I love it here. Yes there are problems that need to be addressed and fixed HOWEVER you are going to find that just about anywhere. As far as everything that has happened to you, I'm sorry you have had to 'experience' that but as another poster said, maybe its the company you keep or the lifestyle you lead! I have stated this before and I'll say it again. I try everything in my power to insure my safety and that of my kids. I don't go downtown late at night, in fact I don't like to be out late at all unless my husband is with me! And again, you don't like it, HWY 17 goes north and south and I40 goes west. Pick one and take it!

Three

Submitted by Guest5150 (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 10:42am.

of five of your complaints are related to alcohol 5Years. Maybe you are hanging out in the wrong crowd after all. I am sorry for what has happened to you though.

don't let the door hit you

Submitted by guesty on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 7:39am.

I-40 West or HWY17 North or South, Let them be your friends!

What?

Submitted by Justin America (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 9:03am.

Same to you...

Nope

Submitted by guesty on Wed, 07/30/2008 - 11:32pm.

I'm not the one crying about how terrible Wilmington is. I keep away from low class trouble and life is good. I like it here. You can go.

So your theory is.....

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Sun, 07/27/2008 - 10:45pm.

...that this dirtball sexually assaulted and stabbed this woman because he was poor? Or is it that the woman is a neglected poor person, and that's why she was walking to see her boyfriend at 1 AM. Exactly what IS your point, because the only thing I got from your post is that you seem to attract trouble like a magnet. Perhaps your problem isn't Wilmington....?

I got it...

Submitted by Justin America (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 9:10am.

I believe her one main point was " Shame on you Wilmington. In all of the places I've lived, this is by far the most ill-equipped to respond to the needs of its citizens." I got that by reading the words and understanding what they mean. She might be indirectly adressing the fact that Wilmington has the 2nd highest violent crime rate per capita of ANY city in the State while while WILM residents cary the 2nd highest tax burden per person in the State... Hmmmm? Seems like there is plenty of room for improvement and don't be afraid to drive a long way away yourself.

Why should I go anywhere?

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 11:26am.

First, I don't live in Wilmington. Second, I'm not the one whining about how crappy Wilmington is, am I? I've lived in cities all over this country and the world. If this young lady (or you) believe that Wilmington is "the most ill-equipped city to respond to the needs of its citizens," I suggest you both travel more. Meanwhile, I'm still at a loss to figure out exactly how the "old money" is causing the problems she's complaining about. Neglecting the poor? Neglecting the college students? ????????

I had an interesting time

Submitted by LocalLawEnforcementMember (not verified) on Fri, 08/01/2008 - 11:36pm.

I had an interesting time reading the posts put up here previously. There seem to be many different views and many different opinions from many different backgrounds and frames of mind. I think that law enforcement is bound by what our legislators create as law. There are so many laws against certain activities that city cops and deputies have no shortage of charges possible. It is the punishments for these charges that become a JOKE! Most crimes are committed by people who have committed them prior. Maybe if they stayed in jail or prison like their sentences imposed instead of being allowed an early release there would be some reprive from the crime rate. On the subject of Law Enforcement coverage.... the City of Wilmington has a quota for sworn officers of about 251, at least that is what it was a year ago when I was employed there. For a county boasting a population in excess of 170,000, that really doesn't seem like a lot to me. The WPD has a policy also of not allowing an officer to be sworn with them if they are also sworn at another law enforcement agency. So for the numerous people who would love to work auxillary with WPD that are cops elsewhere, they are not allowed to. Interestingly enough, the auxillary positions with the City are unpaid.... it would be nice to allow officers with the drive and motivation to work for free to maybe fight some crime and do a little cleaning up. Its those officers that make the difference. Neighborhoods must certainly step up on their own and be proactive about crime in their areas also. There is no city in the world without crime. Those with lower than average crime rates for their size I assure you have an excellent community network or laws so harsh as to discourage criminal activity (How about public beatings with a bamboo cane for simple drug possession in the Southeast Asian areas) The best way in my opinion to help your community is to band together with watch programs and to petition the city council for more officers. The pressure needs to come from the top folks, and then it will roll downhill to the department. WPD can't be blamed for not having enough officers. Only the city council can up their quota and adjust their pay to make it worthwile.

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