The Selma Times-Journal

A 20-year-old Selma woman was kidnapped and raped while jogging down Marina Drive in Bloch Park Sunday.

The young lady was running down the road sometime in the early afternoon, police said, when she was abducted by a black male believed to be in his mid to late 20s.

She was held for several hours before she managed to escape her attacker, according to reports.

The victim said the suspect overpowered her and threatened her with a gun while she was in the area. After being held and attacked for what police describe as “a lengthy period of time” she was able to run for help.

The attacker left the scene of the crime. He left behind several items, including a brown Pacific Trail hooded jacket. The jacket has a tear on the left elbow, paint stains in the blue plaid lining, a zip-on hood and a blue plaid lining.

Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a suspect in the incident.

Police described the suspect as a black male in his mid to late 20s. He is approximately 5’10” to 6′ tall with black hair cut short and hair on his forehead. He has brown eyes and a distinctive hump on his nose. Police said the suspect has a prominent lower jaw and pointed chin, which sticks out revealing his lower teeth. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt, black jeans with holes in them and gray tennis shoes.

Anyone with information concerning a suspicious person in the area anytime in the last few days is asked to call the Selma Police Department’s Secret Witness Line at 334-874-2190.

Police Chief Jimmy Martin said he was saddened by the incident.

“My sympathies go out to her (the victim) and her family,” he said.

Martin said the department was using all available resources to find and arrest a suspect in the case.

“I feel like over a period of time we will have it solved,” he said.

He said that police were currently investigating leads in the case.

This incident is the second rape to occur in the area. In June, an 18-year-old Selma woman was allegedly raped by four 20-year-old Selma men. Their trial is still pending.