Press Release: Northwest Serial Rapist Has Columbus, Ohio Women On Guard

The self defense products website, www.WomenOnGuard.com, made its monthly product donation to the Hilliard Police Department in Hilliard, Ohio.

Indian Beach, NC November 21, 2008. WomenOnGuard.com donates self defense products to a different cause around the country each month. Due to a serial rapist in the Columbus, Ohio area still on the loose, WomenOnGuard.com decided to donate pepper spray products to the Hilliard Police Department in Hilliard (HPD), Ohio. According to Officer Suzy Muraco, the HPD has partnered with Crime Stoppers of Central Ohio and is now providing training classes on crime prevention. This partnership decision was made in response to the overwhelming concern of the citizens of the Columbus areas and especially in Hilliard, where the serial rapist has been known to attack. The pepper spray donated by WomenOnGuard.com will be distributed throughout these classes.

There has been a serial rapist on the loose in the Columbus, Ohio area. He first struck in June of this year. He has raped and attacked seven young women on the West and North sides of Columbus. The seventh victim was attacked on November 2nd in West Columbus. The serial rapist has a pattern of raping single women in their early twenties. He carries a weapon most of the time. Police mentioned that this rapist, first figures out his victim's daily patterns and then breaks into their homes and attacks them while they are asleep. He usually attacks in the early morning hours. From the nearly 300 tips received, investigators have narrowed down a list of 50-75 suspects.

Susan Eaton of WomenOnGuard.com stated that, “Personal and home safety should be taken very serious. There are many precautions that you and your family need to implement immediately for crime prevention. This includes your personal safety when you are not at home as well as safety precautions that need to be taken when you are at home.” Susan goes on to say, “When you are away from your home environment, always be aware of your surroundings and stay in well lit areas. Walk confidently at a steady pace because a rapist looks for someone who appears vulnerable. Avoid doorways, bushes and alleys where rapist can hide. When someone tries to enter your home, they will look for the path of least resistance because this is the best chance for them to get away without being caught. Get rid of these paths. If you have any shrubs in front of your windows, prune them low. Make sure that all doors and windows are locked and make sure that you have a deadbolt lock on all exterior doors. Keep your doors locked during the day as you would at night. You should also carry a self-defense product when you are away from home and you should always have something in your home for crime prevention.”

WomenOnGuard.com was launched in October of 2006 by two determined women who set out to provide other women with much needed tools to defend themselves against crime. Susan Eaton and Martha Z. Martinez, the owners of the website www.WomenOnGuard.com, wanted to spread the word and let women know that it is easy to purchase self defense products such as Mace, pepper spray, stun guns, Taser products and personal alarms on their website. “Most women are unsure of where to purchase self defense products”, Martha mentioned, “Your local department stores usually do not carry crime prevention items such as these and gun shops can be intimidating to some women.” WomenOnGuard.com only sells non-lethal, self-defense products. Susan states, “We don’t carry guns or knives on our website. We realize that it is possible that if you are carrying a lethal weapon, it could be turned against you. In this case, it is better to be pepper sprayed or Tasered, than to be shot with a bullet from your own gun or stabbed with the knife you were carrying to protect yourself.”

Safety Gifts For The Holidays

There is nothing better than a safety gift that will protect the life of a loved one or your own.

There are many safety gifts you can choose from that are reasonably priced and great for stocking stuffers. You can also choose more pricier ones that are sure to impress and surprise anyone! Among the reasonably priced gifts are pepper sprays or Mace pepper spray. Some pepper sprays come disguised as lipstick containers or pens. These are convenient because no one suspects you are carrying a self defense product. Most pepper spray products have key rings that make them handy to carry around with your house or car keys. You can get a great deal purchasing them in a package of 6. Personal alarms are also a favorite, reasonably priced self defense product, especially among women. Personal alarms can come with key chains, flashlights and some can even be attached to a door and used as a door alarm. You can also give higher priced gifts such as a Taser C2 or a medium priced gift such as a stun gun.

Giving a self defense product as a gift for the holidays is unexpected and the person you give it to will appreciate it and probably carry it with them all the time! It is a gift that shows you care.

Columbus Ohio's 'Northwest Serial Rapist' still on the loose

We were told this morning by a friend that lives in Columbus, Ohio, that there is a serial rapist in that neck of the woods. Apparently he has raped several women since June of this year. This rapist is male and 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, race unknown. He has a stalky build and is in his late 30s to early 40s. That pretty much describes many male's... But he has a pattern of raping single women in their early twenties. He carries a weapon most of the time. Police mentioned that this serial rapist, first figures out his victim's daily patterns and then breaks into their homes and attacks them while they are asleep.

There is concern amongst parents of young women who attend Ohio State University since most of their daughters are in their early 20s. OSU spreads several city blocks and it is within an urban area. This makes these students especially at risk.

The Columbus Police Department is offering a reward for any information leading to the arrest of this serial rapist. They have also posted a photo of the rapist at a teller machine, using one of several credit cards he has stolen. Call the police at (614) 645-2437 if you have any information regarding this rapist.

Trash Buddy Dogs

I bet you are wondering what the title of this post means. What do dogs and trash dumpsters have in common? Well in my home, my dogs take turns escorting me out to the trash dumpster every night. What better way for them to relieve themselves before bedtime and at the same time protect me from strangers!

Photo by DBduo Photography

If you live in an apartment complex or a condo and you have a dog, try taking him or her with you when taking out your waste to the trash dumpster. It doesn't matter if they are a large or small breed, either way they will attack or make a lot of noise! Small dogs are often the most fearless and most vocal! Most people like to take their trash out at night and people that live in buildings are more likely to be assaulted when walking through their complexes in the dark. I also carry pepper spray with me. You never know if a stranger with bad intentions will show up or a mean Rocky the Raccoon might want to defend it's delicious trashy meal! Your dog and pepper spray also come in handy when checking your mail at one of those mail box booths most complexes have.

This routine is an opportunity to bond more with your pet and feel safer at the same time!

Leaving Your Home in the Dark?

The holidays are just around the corner and many people plan to spend time with family, away from home. When we leave our home for the holidays, many of us think about the movie "Home Alone". The movie showed how empty houses are more prone to be robbed while people take off on vacation. We also know that a totally dark house is a sure sign for burglars to know that no one is home. When leaving for just a few hours in the evening, most of us will leave a couple of lights or the TV on, just to make it seem like someone is home. This is fine when it is only for a couple of hours, but when you are away for a few days, you don't want your TV or lights constantly on, even during the daytime. This is not economically sound and it's also a green light to let burglars or intruders know that you are not around. Having the lights constantly on is just as inviting to burglars, as having the lights constantly off!

There is a solution to this dilemma. It is the Digital Timer. What is a Digital Timer? This is a handy little item that you can connect to a wall outlet and have a lamp or other appliance connected to it. You then program it to have a lamp turn on around 6 PM and turn off by 11 PM. If you have a Digital Timer with Random Feature, it can turn the lamp on and off throughout several hours of the evening. The times will be different for each day of the week therefore lights will not have a predictable pattern of turning on and off. There are Digital Timers that can handle up to 15 amps, for heavy duty appliances or for more than one lamp at a time. You can purchase Digital Timers that easily record up to 20 on/off programs over 7 and 8 day groupings and have a pre-installed battery backup. Some Digital Timers have 3 wire grounded plugs and even an LCD that shows the time and day.

Digital Timers are not only for security against burglars or intruders, but for other applications as well. I personally used one for my aquarium. I timed it so that the light in the aquarium would turn on in the early evening and turn off late at night so that my fish could sleep! Some people use them for their Christmas trees or holiday decoration lights. Many people put their backyard lights on Digital Timers. There really are no limits to what you can use Digital Timers for. If it uses electricity, you can have it on a timer!

So, remember to prepare your home with not just decorations for the holidays, but also with Digital Timers. These security items not only prevent your home from being robbed, but are convenient and reasonably priced. Some people are happy with just purchasing one for the bedroom and one for the living room. Others get creative and use them for various tasks.