Alleged rapist sought

By Mark Boxley
of The Daily Times Staff

A Maryville woman saw what she believed to be blue lights flashing in her rear-view mirror, but instead of facing a police officer when she stopped, the woman said she was confronted by a violent rapist.

According to Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp, the woman — who is not being named due to the nature of the crime — was heading out of town on U.S. 411 South when she saw the vehicle behind her with flashing lights on.

“She felt like their intention was to stop her,” Crisp said. “She thought it was a police car.”

But when she stopped in the parking lot of the Wiley Boring Center off U.S. 411 South near Cherokee Heights Drive, a man with a masked face walked up to her vehicle.

According to police, the man then forced the woman — who they say is in her 20s — out of her vehicle.

“He forcibly took her from her car and drug her back to his car,” Crisp said.

The woman said the man then assaulted and raped her in his car, before “shoving” her out and fleeing the scene, Crisp said.

The vehicle is believed to be dark-colored in the style of a Ford Crown Victoria — though Crisp said the make and model of the vehicle is not known for sure.

The man is believed to be white, but had a hood or something like a toboggan covering his face.

Immediately after the woman reported the attack, officers from all different area law enforcement agencies started looking for the car. In Maryville, they were “shaking everything that moves that could resemble (a dark-colored Crown Victoria),” Crisp said.

After the attack, Crisp said the woman traveled to her Maryville home and called police. She was taken from there by Rural/Metro Ambulance Service to Blount Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries from the attack. Crisp said the injuries were not life threatening.

An attack like this is not common and Crisp said there hasn’t been anything recently “that’s even similar to it.”

Investigation into the alleged attack is ongoing and in the meantime Crisp said for anyone who may find themselves in an uncomfortable situation with an unmarked police car there are several things they can do to put their minds at ease. First, pull over in a well-lit, public area.

“(And) if you have a question, obviously call 911,” Crisp said. “They can verify that it is in fact a police car.”

And if it’s not, a real officer will respond, he said.