Jennifer Thurgood’s Story
About five months ago, Jennifer Thurgood started locking her doors.
A graduate student in food science, Thurgood said an intruder came in through one of her house windows April 13 and snuck into her bedroom. She woke up when he touched her and could see him crouched next to her bed. She hit him over the back a couple of times and he stood up to face her.
“I told him, ‘Get out of my house now,'” she said. “Then I started screaming as loud and as high and obnoxious as I could.”
He ran away, and Thurgood said she followed him down the hall a few seconds after. Within five minutes, she said she came to the conclusion that the man in her room wasn’t pulling a prank, and she called the police.
“It was terrifying and I felt very vulnerable,” she said.
Thurgood’s incident at her house on 600 North by Adam’s Park happened around the same time a few other girls in the area reported a prowler sneaking into their apartments and going through their laundry.
Although Thurgood is lucky she wasn’t assaulted, many other women across the country are not as fortunate. According to rainn.org, a rape, abuse and incest Web site, every two and a half minutes someone in America is sexually assaulted. In 2004 to 2005 alone there were 200,780 victims of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault, according to the site.
Thurgood said even though Logan is a safe place, crime can happen anywhere.
“Lock doors even if you don’t think it’s a big deal,” she said. “You never know how it could keep you safe. I think that the general population thinks criminals are partial, that because Logan’s a small town and a good place, that crime doesn’t happen. I don’t think it matters that it’s Logan. If you create an opportunity for crime, it’s only a matter of time”
Thurgood said her door and windows were never locked, which made her house an easy break-in. And although she wasn’t hurt, the shock of the incident lasted a long time.
“Even though I defended myself and made a ruckus, I still felt terrified,” she said, adding that she wondered if she would be able to protect herself if she were in a similar or worse situation again. “Over time I realized that I really could do things to defend myself. I think you’re naturally defensive. You naturally get an adrenaline rush, and it’s OK.”
According to womenshealth.org, women are less likely to be raped when they fight back. The site suggests doing anything that will prevent women getting harmed such as throwing up, yelling and screaming, or running. In Thurgood’s case, her reactions were enough to get the man out of her house, and she said she will always be glad that nothing worse happened to her or her roommates.
Police gave Thurgood tips for the future, which included keeping the outside of her house lit and her blinds closed. They figured he had been watching the house before he broke in and probably knew that windows and doors wouldn’t be locked. It’s possible that intruders won’t think about coming into a house or apartment if it’s kept more private, they told her.
“Be aware. I don’t think it hurts to be cautious,” Thurgood said. “Don’t be afraid to be different if everyone else is leaving their doors unlocked.”
According to rainn.org, less than half of all sexual assault cases are reported to police, making it one of the most unreported crimes. Thurgood said victims should call the police immediately. When she did, the police said even waiting five minutes was too long.
“Don’t be paranoid about calling the police,” she said. “Call them right away. It’s smart. And if you hear someone screaming, call the police.”
-manette.n@aggiemail.usu.edu