Police: Durham woman walking dog sexually assaulted

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – Durham Police are investigating after a 32-year-old woman was attacked while walking her dog Saturday evening.

Authorities say between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. the woman was sexually assaulted and later found lying in the grass near a wooded area in the 5300 block of Penrith Street.

It’s the second reported sexual assault in Durham in less than a week.

Investigators are looking to speak with two persons of interest who were in the area on Friday. The two men are described as males in their mid-20s to early-30s. One was wearing a grey coat and the other was wearing a red coat.
Parrish Ravelli lives in the neighborhood. He says while he wouldn’t expect this to happen in his backyard, he isn’t surprised.

“I just can’t help, but think about the context of the larger narrative happening in our country right now around safety, around men and women and there’s a whole continuum of how this plays out in violent ways,” said Ravelli.

He says with a wife and child at home, it’s terrifying and it makes him want to work harder to make his community a safer place.

“If I had a message for this person it would be that we are not this. We are not this in this neighborhood. We are not this in Durham. We are not this in this country and this is unacceptable and for this person and all men, we need to do better.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator J. Sandoval at (919) 560-4440 extension 29461 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.

The Durham Police Department would like to share the following personal safety tips:

• Be aware of your surroundings at all times
• Call 911 to report any suspicious activities
• Do not walk alone
• Try to remain in well-lit areas
• Trust your instincts
• Do not walk/run with earbuds or headphones
• Bring a cell phone