On a Sunday afternoon while Kelly Herron was out for a long run as part of her marathon training, she had to use a restroom in a public park. Unexpectedly, she found herself face-to-face with a man who had been hiding in one of the stalls. The situation escalated quickly as the man attacked her, attempting to rape her.
Despite the initial shock, Kelly fought back with all her strength, recalling techniques she had recently learned in a self-defense class she attended just weeks before the incident. She remembered the advice to target vulnerable areas with force, which she applied by striking the attacker and defending herself vigorously.
In a stroke of luck, Kelly’s cries for help caught the attention of a passerby in the park, who assisted her in containing the assailant until law enforcement arrived. Determined and enraged, Kelly managed to thwart the assault, refusing to become a victim and asserting her strength in the face of danger.
The suspect, later identified as Gary Steiner, a 40-year-old registered sex offender, was apprehended and charged with attempted second degree rape and second degree assault. He was held on a bail of $750,000 pending further legal proceedings.
