Kansas City, Missouri residents arming in response to serial rapist

     Oleg Volk photo (click photo to enlarge)

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It started late last September:

A 29-year-old Kansas City woman reported being raped just three weeks after she moved into a new home in the Waldo neighborhood.

[ . . . ]

The man forced her into the bedroom where he raped her twice, police said. He also made her take baths after both assaults.

Within two weeks, there was a second rape just a few blocks away, under very similar circumstances.  Suspicious of a serial rapist, Police Captain Mark Folson (or Folsom--I've seen it spelled both ways) offered some advice:

Folsom said everyone should take steps to make themselves less of a target, such as making sure your home is well-lit at night, and making sure doors and windows are locked -- even if you're home. You should also trim shrubbery by your home's entrances to keep hiding places to a minimum.

"It's important to make your house as secure as possible," Folsom said.

All of that is sound advice, but notice anything he didn't mention?  I suppose we should be grateful he isn't with the Illinois State Police, and reduced to advising women to vomit in self-defense (or surrender, or scream, or clutch a security blanket).

In January, he apparently struck again--twice, within two hours.

Less than two hours after that attack, at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, a man forced his way into the home of a 50-year-old woman in the 10 block of East Porte Cimi Pas when she opened her door to let her dogs out. The suspect sexually assaulted her and stole jewelry and some money. The victim sustained lacerations and contusions to her face and was treated at an area hospital.

Police believe the same man is responsible for both rapes. They also think the rapist could be the same man who broke into homes and sexually assaulted two women in the Waldo area last fall. Those incidents took place Sept. 29, 2009, in the 7500 block of Summit and on Oct. 11, 2009, in the 100 block of East 78th Terrace.

Just last week, the same creature claimed his fifth victim:

Police in Kansas City, Mo., believe a woman sexually assaulted Monday may be the fifth victim of a serial rapist in the city's Waldo-area suburb.

Despite heavy publicity and additional police patrols, a man entered an unlocked window about 1:30 a.m. and awoke the resident, a woman in her 30s. After sexually assaulting her, he fled, The Kansas City Star reported.

A description given by the victim of the man and his actions matched four previous attacks in the Waldo area in five months, the police said.

That five women have been so horribly and brutally violated is an outrage, and I wish I had more to offer the women than my thoughts and prayers.

Encouragingly, area residents are now taking steps to stop this predator.

The owner of a local gun shop said he's seen an increase in interest in handguns and Tasers since a serial rapist started targeting the Waldo area.

Reese Dalton with J.S. Supply in Grandview said fear and a desire for protection has brought more people to his shop.

"I may get a handgun -- I haven't made my decision on what I'm going to do, but I prefer a shotgun," customer Felicia Abbott told KMBC's Marcus Moore.

Whichever she chooses, she should seek training in its use, and perhaps someday soon, she or someone like her will rehabilitate the loathsome predator.

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St. Louis area folks, don't forget about the 2nd Amendment Rally on the Arch grounds tomorrow today (oops--I wrote this Friday night, to be published on Saturday, so I wrote "tomorrow," when I should have said "today"--hope I didn't cause anyone to miss it) at 10 AM.