A Virginia mom says she was left so shaken by an alleged sexual assault on the seaside that she lower off her freshly dyed hair, believing her look might have drawn undesirable consideration.
Windi Harrison, 43, has gone public together with her account of the scary incident at Group Seashore Park in Norfolk, Virginia, hoping her story will make different households extra alert in public areas.
Harrison stated she had been spending a Tuesday afternoon on the sand together with her 5 youngsters when, at about 5 p.m., two males she didn’t know got here as much as her.
Based on Harrison, one of many males started questioning her about whether or not she was single and if the youngsters together with her had been hers, earlier than he allegedly touched her inappropriately and tried to drag off her bikini prime.
The distressed mom stated she was in a position to cease the encounter from escalating and persuaded the boys to depart the world.
She then rounded up her youngsters and made her strategy to a lifeguard station, the place she was in a position to contact police.
For the reason that ordeal, Harrison says she has develop into afraid of being round crowds and responded to the trauma by chopping off her hair.
‘I had simply did my hair coloration and it regarded actually fairly, and I figured possibly that had one thing to do with it,’ she advised Fox8.
‘I got here dwelling and I simply hated any a part of me that regarded good,’ Harrison advised the Every day Mail. ‘So I simply regarded within the mirror and chopped all of it off. I threw the bikini within the bin, I used to be simply so upset.
Mother-of-five Windi Harrison tearfully recounted how she was sexually assaulted on the seaside in an incident so traumatic she chopped off her hair afterwards
Police in Norfolk launched these surveillance digital camera photos of the suspect, described as a Hispanic man in his 50s-60s
‘Rationally I do know it’s not my fault however there was a part of me that thought I introduced it on myself, despite the fact that everyone seems to be sporting a bikini in on the seaside and rationally, I do know it’s not.
‘I had a lot self-confidence, after having 5 youngsters it took numerous confidence for me to be in a bikini on the seaside and now I’ve zero self-confidence.’
Harrison typically frequents the seaside and stated it’s normally a secure spot with loads of oversight.
She was having fun with a time without work from work and stated the 2 males, who she described as an older Hispanic man in his fifties or sixties with a youthful man in his thirties, had been already on the seaside when she arrived.
‘I had simply come up from the water and was laying on my towel, watching my children having enjoyable within the water,’ she defined.
Harrison stated she was approached by the older man, who was carrying a bag of empty beer cans and he assaulted her as she was reaching into her seaside bag.
‘Thank goodness they didn’t witness what had occurred,’ she added. ‘I used to really feel secure however I don’t assume I can return there for some time.
Harrison stated she has since been struggling to eat and sleep, however praised the assist she has had from the native police.
A photograph of Harrison from June 28 earlier than the assault on Tuesday reveals her with lengthy, flowing pink hair
The assault passed off at Group Seashore Park in Norfolk, Virginia
‘They’re calling me 3 times a day, morning, midday and night time, however as for an replace I’m undecided for the time being,’ she stated.
Harrison stated she determined to talk out about her ordeal in hopes of creating positive different individuals who expertise sexual assault really feel much less alone.
‘I’m stunned I spoke up, my knee-jerk response was to maintain it to myself,’ she stated. ‘However I nonetheless have slightly little bit of combat left. I really feel so violated, but it surely’s necessary to guard different ladies.
‘So many, many ladies undergo this and don’t say something so if I can, let me be a voice for many who can’t communicate up.’
Whereas she stated she has some regret about chopping her hair, Harrison hopes it’s going to develop into an emblem of her power.
‘I remorse chopping it, however the hair is an efficient metaphor for all of this as a result of it’s going to develop again and be stronger, hopefully identical to me,’ she stated.
‘The person is described as a Hispanic man, roughly 50 years previous, 5 toes 6 inches, 180 kilos, with a scruffy beard. He was additionally described as having lacking tooth,’ Norfolk Police stated in a press release.
‘As Particular Crime Detectives proceed to analyze the incident, they’re asking anybody with data which will help them to please name 757-664-7033 or submit an nameless tip to Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit a tip by means of the P3Tips cell app.’
