One week after an alleged sexual assault near Main Street, Haines Borough police chief Gary Lowe said local streets are safe, but residents shouldn’t be walking them alone at night.
“You shouldn’t be alone anytime. It’s the golden rule around here. Don’t go hiking alone. Don’t go into bear country alone. Don’t go walking the streets at night alone,” Lowe said.
Police have no new leads on the assault reported to have occurred after a woman was dragged by her hair through an alley and assaulted in a truck parked in a lot near Second and Main.
The attack happened at about 12:30 a.m., following closure of the Fogcutter Bar. The woman had been in the bar earlier in the evening, left and met up with friends.
After leaving her friends, the woman tried returning to the bar, but found it closed. She was sitting in the alley behind the bar, smoking a cigarette, when she was approached by the assailant, Lowe said.
The case appears to be an assault by a stranger, which is rare here, Lowe said.
Police have no physical evidence but also have no reason to believe the incident didn’t happen, Lowe said. Besides interviewing the victim, police spoke to her friends and also reviewed a recording from a video camera that was in the area, Lowe said.
“At the time, (the victim) was really upset,” Lowe said.
Police were speaking to Canadian authorities this week about a possible connection between the crime and similar ones around Whitehorse, Y.T.