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.”