Runner saves woman from assault

Gary Stewart, 36, of Green Township is winning praise for getting involved when he realized a man was viciously beating a woman in Miami Whitewater Forest Thursday morning.

"His presence stopped the attack," said Sgt. Dale Reatherford, a Hamilton County Park District ranger. "He did detain the guy."

Stewart, who is training for next month's Flying Pig Marathon, was running in the park shortly after 10 a.m. when he heard a scream.

"I looked back and here's this heavyset guy," Stewart said. "This woman jumped up and said, 'Help me!' "

Stewart told police the man had hit her in the back of the head with what appeared to be a sawed-off baseball bat.

The suspect then made a threatening move so Stewart said he kicked the man in the stomach. Stewart's girlfriend, who was riding in-line skates as Stewart ran, sprayed the suspect with Mace.

The couple held the man until a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy arrived.

The attack appeared to be a random act of violence, Sgt. Reatherford said.

Click on the "Read More..." link below to read what this has to do with concealed carry reform.

OFCC PAC Commentary
There are multiple facets to this story, which need to be considered in light of the concealed carry reform efforts now on the table:

• Would the female victim had been victimized and beaten if her right to self-defense with a firearm was not illegal in Ohio?

Raw data from the Justice Department’s annual National Crime Victim Survey show that when a woman resists a “stranger rape” with a gun, the probability of completion was 0.1% and of victim injury 0.1%, compared to 31% and 40% respectively, for all stranger rapes. Woman who resisted with a gun were 2.5 times more likely to escape without injury than those who did not resist, and 4 times more likely to escape uninjured than those who resisted with any means other than a gun.” (Southwick, Journal of Criminal Justice, 2000)

A Dept. of Justice survey found that 40% of felons chose not to commit at least some crimes for fear their victims were armed, and 34% admitted having been scared off or shot at by armed victims. (James D. Wright and Peter H. Rossi, Armed and Considered Dangerous, Aldine de Gruyter, 1986)

• Had House Bill 274 become law last year, and had Mr. Stewart been a license-holder and carrying, he would have been prevented by that law from using his concealed firearm when coming to the aide of this woman, since she was not a member of his immediate family. Tell your State Senator to make certain House Bill 12 does not include the same language, which would prevent permit-holders from committing "good Samaritan" acts such as this one.

Click here to read the entire story in the Cincinnati Enquirer.