Woman Kidnapped and Tortured in Marblemount, WA

According to Skagit Breaking News - A 66-year old Marblemount man [Jean Robert Streitler Jr.] has been arrested and booked into the Skagit County [WA] Community Justice Center  for Suspicion of 1st Degree Kidnapping, 1st Degree Rape, Four counts of Assault 2nd Degree, one count of Assault 1st Degree, Felony Harassment with Threats to Kill, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm 1st Degree and Possession of a stolen firearm. Charges that he held a woman against her will for three days, repeatedly torturing, raping and threatening to kill her.

Court documents state that Streitler forced the woman to strip naked and lay on the floor of his motorhome.  Streitler then handcuffed the woman’s hands above her head and used rope to tie her legs to a sink and couch  in the motorhome. He then spent the next 36 hours physically assaulting the victim. Streitler repeatedly kicked the woman in the thighs and groin area, leaving severe bruises. He then heated a butcher knife on the stove and held it to the inside of the woman’s thighs, and outside of her groin, causing burns.  Streitler then held the knife to the woman’s throat and asked her "Can you feel that? You don’t know what pain is, but you’re going to."  The woman told Detectives that Streitler then used a pair of pliers and twisted her nipples causing severe abrasions.  Streitler continued to torture  his victim by using  a torch to burn her groin area. He then cut her abdomen and legs with a knife and used scissors to cut her hair over and over again.

The victim told Detectives that on the morning of January 20th, Streitler had removed the handcuffs from the cabinets but left them attached to her arm.  Streitler told the victim to get dressed and threw some pajama pants at her.  He told her he was now going to kill her and her family.  The victim made a daring escape when Streitler had his back turned and she ran out of the motorhome. Streitler chased her but she was able to flag down a passing vehicle for help.  When Streitler saw the victim with the passing car he returned to his motorhome and fled the scene in a vehicle.

The strength of the victim to survive these heinous crimes, and her courage to escape this vicious criminal when the chance arouse can only be commended. I don't wish to diminish the strength and courage of the victim of these crimes in anyway, but it must also be noted that her survival was only by chance. Had her attacker not turned his back while she was unbound and had she not been able to run and flag down a passing car, it is very likely that she would have suffered further violence, torture, and a very painful death.

It is with the above heinous crimes clearly in mind, they we consider whether such a thing could happen to anyone of us. Do you practice personal security to help mitigate the risk of violent attack? Have you seriously thought about how you would deal with a violent attack and kidnapping.

In the past I have discussed Anti-Kidnapping Techniques here in the blog.

Your best chance of thwarting a kidnapping attempt is in the first few seconds. You must do everything you can to fight off your assailant. Forget about compliance and non-resistance, hoping that your abductor won't harm you. Fight dirtily and aggressively. Go for the eyes, the neck, the genitals. Shout at the top of your voice. Do not be taken quietly. Do not be a soft target. You have a good chance of scaring off your abductor or escaping if your response is unexpectedly violent.

Be armed, always! Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but he's going have to beat you to death with it, because it's going to be empty. According to U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics data, having a firearm and being able to use it in a defensive situation is the most effective means of avoiding injury (more so even than offering no resistance) and thwarting completion of violent crime, such as robbery or assault. In general, resisting violent crime is far more likely to help than to hurt, and this is especially true if your attacker attempts to take you hostage.

If you just can't or won't carry a firearm for your personal protection; then always carry a knife. In his book All-In Fighting, W.E. Fairbairn wrote: "The knife in close-quarter fighting is the most deadly weapon to have to contend with. It is admitted by recognized authorities that for an entirely unarmed man there is no certain defense against a knife." The knife, in trained hands, can be a very effective and deadly means of personal protection. Yet, stabbing a man to death is an exercise in extreme violence. It is violent and sudden and what the body does in its final moments will shock you...maybe, if you haven't gotten your mind right about such matters.

Finally, develop the habit of situational awareness. By being alert you prepare yourself so that no attacker will likely take you off guard. You’ll see it coming. And with a proper mindset and a good set of quality close combat skills honed and ready to be called upon, you are most unlikely to be successfully victimized. The garbage that preys upon others, deliberately endeavors to pick victims that are not alert; persons who are distracted and who will  never see them coming in the first place. Look alert, be aware, and act like you’re paying attention to whoever is near you, and the odds of being attacked are greatly reduced. Not eliminated entirely, but reduced. And if you are situationally aware, you’ll be set to deal with any attack that some gutter filth initiates. (Bradley J. Steiner, Sword & Pen, January 2018)