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Medford woman�s quick getaway foils rape try By Jill Briskey Quick thinking on the part of a Medford woman may have saved her from being raped by a stranger Dec. 12. Medford police are looking for help in their attempt to stop the unknown man suspected of attempted rape. According to Lt. Tim George, the victim was at W. Main and Front streets around 5:40 p.m. when she was approached by a stranger asking for directions. When the victim didn�t answer, George said, the stranger allegedly drove away. The woman encountered the stranger several blocks away, he added. Police report the stranger allegedly grabbed the woman from behind and placed what she believed to be a knife to her throat. "She actually thought it was a knife," George said. "Later, we found out it was a pen." George said the man apparently told the victim not to scream or he would kill her, and that he was going to rape her. The man walked around to the driver�s side of the vehicle, George said, and the woman managed to escape. "This appears to be an isolated incident," George said, adding that there have been no other reports of rape recently. The suspect is described as a white male, about 30- to 35-years-old. He has a light complexion with a ruddy appearance and pockmarks or acne on his cheeks. He has short, reddish-brown hair, along with a reddish-brown mustache. He was last seen wearing a dark brown suede or soft cotton jacket, a gray T-shirt with a blue logo and dark brown slacks. Police are also hoping that the public may have information regarding the vehicle. It is described as a white compact station wagon with a dark interior, possibly built in the 1980s. The victim told police the back seat had either been removed or laid down, and that it appeared the stranger may have been living in the car. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Medford Police Detective Ben Miller at 774-2231 or 774-2230. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.