HANAMA‘ULU — It took a horrifying experience she still unfortunately relives regularly to convince Bobbee Downs that times have changed on Kaua‘i. Even after dozens of male and female residents recently ran off a suspected prowler recently, at least two
HANAMA‘ULU — It took a horrifying experience she still unfortunately relives regularly to convince Bobbee Downs that times have changed on Kaua‘i.
Even after dozens of male and female residents recently ran off a suspected prowler recently, at least two confirmed break-ins and attempted sexual assaults on single women in the Kalepa Village Apartments complex in less than a month have residents on edge, Downs said in a telephone interview Friday.
Late last month, Downs, a sound sleeper in her 60s, awoke to the sight of a man standing over her while she was in her bed, his hands probing her genital area.
She screamed and shouted at him to stop, but he used a single strong thrust of his arm to pin her down on her bed, at which time she screamed so loudly she woke up a baby in the apartment next door, and the perpetrator calmly left her apartment, she said in an e-mail and during the telephone interview.
As she has done for most of her years on Kaua‘i, she went to bed that night with the solid front door of her apartment open and the screen door locked. The man entered through that screen door, took money from her purse, and went through several of her dresser drawers, she said.
A few weeks later, a man who may or may not be the same one that came into Downs’ apartment attempted to sexually assault another single woman living at Kalepa.
The 40-year-old woman, who did not want to be identified, fell asleep watching TV, with the sliding-glass door of her apartment unlocked, and awoke to a man trying to take her clothes off.
The woman fought off the man, got him off of her, and sent him running out the door, Downs said.
Based on preliminary descriptions and the man’s calm demeanor when he told the women “no, no,” when asked to stop and leave, the women believe it to be the same man, Downs said.
Repeated efforts to get additional information on these cases — Downs’ case is considered a burglary — from Kaua‘i Police Department officials was unsuccessful by press time.
Efforts to reach Lee Yasutake, resident manager, were also unsuccessful Friday.
The ladies, comparing notes, have a description of the man, believed to be between 5 feet 6 inches tall and 5 feet 10 inches tall, medium build, medium skin tone, with medium- to dark-brown hair, slightly wavy, and worn back from his face with a short, tight ponytail.
He has no facial hair, brown eyes, is strong, neat, had no unpleasant odor, and didn’t appear to be drunk or on drugs, Downs said.
“There are more than one of these perpetrators out there, and we need to relearn and rethink the safety precautions we take. We need to reclaim Kaua‘i’s gentle lifestyle,” she said.
“The number-one error I made was in not closing and locking my front door. Instead I left it open, with only the screen door locked,” Downs said. “I’ve been doing that for years. But times have changed on Kaua‘i.”
“There’s at least one” perpetrator out there, “and we can’t live that way anymore,” she said of the days people routinely left car keys in ignitions and left home entry doors open and unlocked, even through the night.
Close blinds and drapes at night, lock doors and windows, and report suspicious activity at once, she said.
A meeting for Kalepa Village Apartments residents has been scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m., and KPD representatives are expected to be present, Downs said.
There are a few KPD officers who live at Kalepa, and Downs still loves living there despite the incident, she said.
“Truly, Kalepa is a fabulous place to live,” with many of the units having ocean views, and expansive, open green spaces and immaculate grounds, she said.
“The place is spotless,” and Yasutake does a good job of getting rid of problem tenants, Downs said. “The place is impeccable.”
And on edge, she said. “I think aware now, too.”
YWCA sex-assault response team members have scheduled a meeting for Kalepa residents on Sept. 3.
“My focus is to get people aware that complexes can be magnets for predators,” said Downs, a former sex-abuse counselor who says the following statistics are accurate:
— 1 of every 6 American women and 1 of every 33 American men has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape;
— Nearly 7 in 10 rape and sexual-assault victims know their attacker;
— For every reported sexual assault, two others go unreported.
Downs said those moving into apartment complexes or currently living in them should ask questions of management about security, and numbers of incidents of burglary and similar crimes of intrusion.
“We all need to be aware, even on Kaua‘i.”
At Kalepa, she recommends more lighting in the parking lots, and some sort of motion-detection lighting in the open grassy areas.
She still feels safe in her unit and complex, and knew enough to seek counseling as the only way to really completely recover from her experience, she said.
“The guy stalked me. There’s no doubt about it,” she said. “You don’t have to be terrified, but trust your instincts.”