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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 1, 2006 Cops investigate rest-stop rape By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Oregon State Police are investigating a possible rape that reportedly occurred in a vehicle at Suncrest Rest Area on Interstate 5 south of Medford Monday night. A woman in her 30s who had been hitchhiking called 9-1-1 from an Arco AM/PM gas station in Talent at about 10:30 p.m. Monday to report she had been raped, OSP Detective David Beck said. She was taken to Providence Medford Medical Center for a medical evaluation and interviews by investigators, Beck said. Members of Jackson County’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program also responded, he said. In place since May, the SANE program connects victims of sexual assault with nurses trained in evidence collection and volunteer advocates who share information about shelters, support groups and other resources. "It really helps things go smoother," Beck said of the program. Advertisement SANE coordinator Susan Moen said the program has 11 specially trained nurses and about 20 volunteer advocates. A nurse and advocate are on call to respond to any hospital when a sexual assault is reported. Monday’s reported rape was the 15th time this month a team has responded, she said. Initially the program received only four or five reports a month. "More people feel comfortable in coming forward," Moen said. "They are hearing that it won’t be the retraumatizing experience it was once feared to be." OSP troopers closed the rest area for about an hour Monday night to search for the suspect and evidence, Beck said. They interviewed people there, but no one reported seeing anything suspicious, he said. The woman told investigators she was hitchhiking and the suspect picked her up in Roseburg. They traveled south together until the sexual assault happened. The suspect is described as a white man in his mid- to late 30s, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 170 pounds, Beck said. He has a short buzz cut of brown hair. The man drove a gray, single-cab pickup, probably dating to the 1990s. It possibly has Oregon license plates, investigators said. Anyone with information is asked to call Beck at 776-6114, Ext. 261. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail Cops investigate rest-stop rape ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement