Woman recalls attack while jogging; police charge suspect
By Kara Peters
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WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WXII) — We are hearing from the woman who was attacked while running in Winston-Salem earlier this week.
The woman, who does not want to be identified, lives in the downtown area and has been running as a hobby since January.
She recalls going for a jog that evening and initially passing the man who she says attacked her on Research Parkway.
“I took a turn on Rams Drive, and my headphones are open ear and I can hear footsteps,” the woman recalled. “And I thought that’s weird he was walking the other direction.”
She later took a turn on Salem Avenue, running about a 14-minute mile, when she continued hearing footsteps, prompting her to turn around.
“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, you scared me.’ I was just trying to be friendly. I really didn’t think this guy was bad news and he said, ‘Oh, I’m not trying to scare you.'” the woman said.
“He grabbed me and started trying to pull me away from the road, kind of like (by) a ditch toward the railroad. And he said, ‘I’m not going to hurt you, just come with me.’ And I’m just screaming to the top of my lungs help, please help me.”
The woman says that the struggle lasted for about 15 seconds. Seconds that felt much longer.
“I was thinking this is it for me, he’s going to rape me, never going to get to go home.” the woman said.
The man eventually let the woman go after a car went by. Two days later, police arrested Dylan Cody Smyers and charged him with second-degree kidnapping and sexual battery. The woman says since that incident, she has some takeaways for the future.
“I don’t want people to think they can’t go running, woman should be able to go run, but I think it is important to have some sort of self defense, so pepper spray I need to buy some. That’s what I’m going to do this weekend,” she said.
The woman tells WXII that despite this scary experience, she does plan to go jogging outside once again, but only when she feels comfortable and ready.
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