A 41-year-old man from Kansas City, Kansas, is in police custody after officers said he sexually assaulted a woman who was stranded on the side of the road.
According to police, a 24-year-old woman's car broke down on the side of I-435 on Monday morning near the intersection with 63rd Street. Raytown police said a man pulled over and offered to drive the woman to get assistance on her car. Once the woman entered the car, the man drove to the Quick Trip on 63rd Street.
After stopping at the gas station for a few minutes, the man drove to a parking lot on the 9400 block of 63rd Street, where police said he sexually assaulted and groped the woman. The man later drove the woman back to her stranded car.
The crime now has neighbors talking in the area.
"It's a shame, but that's the way things are these days," explained Gary Herndon, who grew up in Raytown. "You have so many things to be concerned about in this country."
Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) Director of Advocacy Services Jessie Hogan said while hitchhiking is dangerous, the victim should not be blamed for her decision.
"No one should have to make the determination over whether someone who is helping them is a good Samaritan or a rapist," she explained. "We really don't accomplish anything by scrutinizing victims' behaviors. In actuality, the only person who has responsibility over the assault is the person who chose to commit that crime."
Raytown police have not released the suspect's name. Formal charges in the case have yet to be announced.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at tom.dempsey@kshb.com.
