(Quinte News File Photo: Nicole Kleinsteuber)
A Prince Edward County woman is aiming to make the community safer following the report of a violent sexual assault in Picton’s downtown core last weekend.
During the early morning hours on Saturday April 2, a woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the alleged sexual assault happened near 97 Main Street. The two male suspects remain at large.
When Cherry Valley resident Isabelle Patton heard about the incident she said it really hit home. She works in Picton so her immediate reaction was this could have happened to her, or worse her step-daughters.
Monday, Patton created the Facebook Page ‘Safe Home PEC’ as a social media neighbourhood watch. She said it’s important to spread the word and take care of one another, men and women together.
Patton said there are similar initiatives in bigger cities.
She encourages others to step up if they see something suspicious.
Patton has reached out to different community groups to get the word out and is looking at the possibility of hosting an awareness event like ‘Take Back The Night’ – an international event and non-profit organization with the mission of ending sexual, relationship, and domestic violence in all forms.
Prince Edward OPP continue to investigate the incident and told Quinte News they have received a lot of tips from the community. Police encourage the public to keep coming forward if they have information relating to the crime.
Descriptions of the wanted suspects:
One man is described as white with brown hair, a moustache, scruffy and unshaven with rotten teeth. He was wearing ripped jeans and work boots and smelled of cigarettes.
The other man was black with a shaved head, but an unshaven face, and may have had a thin moustache. The whites of this man’s eyes were yellowish, and he had a gold tooth in his upper teeth on the right side.
He wore jewellery on one of his wrists.
A suspect vehicle is described as a blue 4 door Ford, with an Ontario license plate featuring “J”, “5”, and “8”.
OPP also say there was a dark coloured stuffed bear in the back of the vehicle, and the vehicle made more noise than is usual.
If you have information, call OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
For tips on ways to stay safe when walking alone at night click here.
