Patrick O’Neill

ZANESVILLE – It was about 11 a.m. Nov. 28. A 39-year-old Realtor was just finishing her weekly inspection of a rural home in the county.

"I went to lock the door and someone pushed me back inside," the victim said. "He came down on top of me and sexually assaulted me." The victim's name is being withheld as The Times Recorder does not generally identify victims of crime.

The only description she was able to construct of her assailant were his clothes — flannel shirt, blue jeans, brown work boots — and a pungent smell, "like an animal, like a cow."

As she was struggling face down on the floor, the victim reached for her 9 mm Smith and Wesson handgun. Her attacker knocked the weapon out of her hand, causing the weapon to discharge. Each time she'd try to turn and fight back, her head was smashed against the floor.

"I don't remember how I got there, but I remember crouching in the corner with my back against the wall and my gun in my hand," she said. "The door was open. I didn't know if he was coming back."

The Muskingum County Sheriff's Office is investigating the assault. No suspects have been arrested. DNA tests are being analyzed by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's lab and a local hospital.

Roughly $200 was stolen from the woman's purse, escalating her fear that the suspect knows where she lives.

As a veteran Realtor, she has an inkling that her attacker had met her before. Huddled in the corner shortly after the attack, she told 911 dispatchers that she thought it might have been the same person who'd "approached me before."

"I've had a lot of scary situations on this job," she said. "If anyone can take anything from this ... I hope Realtors get that, when you go to a house and your hair stands up on your neck and you feel something's wrong — leave."

Larry Dennis, president of the Zanesville Board of Realtors, said there is an established safety class for Zanesville Realtors, which encourages cellphone availability and bringing another person on first-time shows. Any formal safety training is left to individual brokers.

"We're really pushing for Realtors to have backup right now," Dennis said. "Sometimes, we get called to a house and we're meeting them there for the first time. That can be really dangerous."

A better option is for Realtors to set up a time where they can meet with potential buyers in the office, where co-workers can identify them before a show. Still, Dennis admits that option is often unrealistic for quick turnaround showings or for Realtors who are commuting.

"(Realtor attacks) are not an uncommon occurrence around the country," Dennis said. "One of the problems we have as Realtors is we think it'll never happen to us. Hopefully, this will make local Realtors realize it can happen in our town."

The victim is forging ahead, purchasing a stun gun and pepper spray, and joining a women's self-defense class.

"I'm a survivor," she said. "I haven't been back to work yet, but I will be. ... I thought I was invincible. I'm not. But the best tool's not a gun; it's the knowledge of your surroundings."

Anyone with information pertinent to the investigation is urged to call Det. Mike Ryan at 740-455-7135.

poneill@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

740-450-6753

Twitter: @PatrickZTR