ROCKLAND — The kidnapping of a Rockland woman as she left work Wednesday night has shocked this community. Violent crime of this nature is not something that people in small towns generally have to worry about and the aftermath of the attack has left many women feeling vulnerable.

According to police, a Portland man drove to Rockland and waited in his car until he spotted his victim. A young woman left work at 11:30 p.m. to walk home. She was walking on Main Street, near the intersection of Cedar Street.

According to the police report, she noticed the perpetrator open his car door with a ski mask on. When he grabbed her and tried to pull her into the vehicle, she fought back, until he got her in a choke hold and caused her to lose consciousness. The man dragged her into the passenger’s side of his sports utility vehicle where she regained consciousness. Soon after, she realized a police cruiser was following them with blue lights on. Despite the perpetrator trying to shove her out of the car and threatening to kill her, the woman grabbed the steering wheel in an attempt to jerk the vehicle off the road. As a result, the perpetrator was apprehended by police officers as he attempted to flee the car.

Deputy Chief Christopher Young received the call when it happened and has advice for women on how to protect themselves.

“I would say this is an isolated incident, “ he said. “The perpetrator had no connection to the area, which makes this that much more disturbing, but Rockland is still a safe community.”

From the beginning of this incident to the end, he said the young woman did everything right.

“First, women need to be vigilant when they are walking to their cars or down the street in the dark,” said Young. “Pay less attention to your cell phone and more attention to your surroundings. I know with modern technology, you sometimes want a little bit of entertainment as you’re walking home, but I think the number one preventative behavior is put the phone away and look around to your surroundings. Let someone know when you are leaving late at night from one location and when you plan to arrive at the other. Let them know the route you intend to take.”

On comment boards in reaction to this article, several women have indicated they will start walking around with a gun or pepper spray from now on.

Young said: “One thing I would always caution is that if you feel the need to go out and buy pepper spray, you need to know how that will affect you. There are environmental factors that can work against you, such as wind shift, which can blow it back on your face. If the perpetrator were to get the pepper spray away from you, it could be used on you instead. You really need to know how to react to that. We don’t allow our officers to carry pepper spray until they’ve been sprayed in the face, so they understand the effects and their incapacitation level.”

As far as a gun, the same advice applies.

“You need to be familiar with any type of a weapon you intend to carry to deploy as part of self-defense,” he said.

Young said that women need to trust their gut instinct.

“If there is any issue, I don’t care how insignificant it is where you feel uncomfortable going somewhere by yourself, call us. We’ll make sure you get to your car safely.”

At the very least, he said, ask a male co-worker or friend to walk you to your vehicle or to a safe place.

The police and community point to the young woman’s willingness to fight her attacker, despite his threats, as the reason for her survival. At one point, she was actually able to make a 911 phone call, as well.

“If women want to feel safer, they can also sign up for a local self-defense class and learn some counter attack strategies,” said Young. “In this particular case, with this particular victim, she put up a fight. And that fight more than likely caused the car accident that ended the chase.”

For more “street-smart” self-defense tips for women visit: attackproof.com To reach the Rockland Police Department call: 207-593-9132

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com