DE PERE (NBC 26) — Those living in De Pere and surrounding cities say they’re shaken after a woman was assaultedat the East River Trail while out on a walk with her baby.
“That just blows my mind,” said Stacie Strelka, a mother of two from Freedom.
Strelka says she goes on the East River Trail at least twice a week. She was out on the trail the night before the assault occurred.
“I was here Monday night about 5 o’clock. I went rollerblading," Strelka said. "It’s a pretty active trail, there’s lots of people all the time.”
As a woman who regularly exercises on the trail alone, when she heard about the assault she says she thought, "That could’ve been me."
"I was pretty shocked because there are so many people on the trail usually, so for someone to do that during the day really freaked me out,” Strelka said.
Those who regularly use the trail say they can't believe an assault happened on a trail that's located right next to a neighborhood in an area they've always felt was safe.
“If it was further out I could maybe see it but in the city here by residents, no. It surprised me,” said De Pere resident Bruce Reineck.
Now, trail-goers say they're left wondering how to protect themselves.
“I’m actually thinking about purchasing some kind of weapon or spray or something because if that can happen during the day to someone that’s got a baby it’s pretty scary,” Strelka said.
It’s something De Pere police say residents shouldn’t have to worry about. That’s why they say they’re doing everything in their power to solve this crime.
“You should be able to walk along a city park or an area trail in broad daylight especially without having to worry about this sort of thing," Captain of Field Services Jeremy Muraski said at a Tuesday press conference. "That’s why we’re going to do everything we can to make sure our investigation is thorough and that it comes to the conclusion that we want it to.”
