Self defense advice for women - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Three high-profile sexual assaults in Central Indiana have women taking new steps to fight back and protect themselves.

In one of those cases, Metro Police arrested a man Wednesday accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in Irvington after neighbors helped officers track him down.

That arrest comes just weeks after detectives tracked down a convicted rapist in Greenwood, saying he raped a mother in her apartment while her children slept nearby.

At the same time, Bloomington investigators are still looking for a man who attempted to sexually assault a woman on a street near the IU campus.

"Many years ago I was attacked myself," said Christine Williams, who lives in the same Irvington neighborhood where the 15-year-old said she was raped.

"The thought that goes through your mind is, "get him. GET him," explained Williams of how she felt when she heard about the attack.

Police did arrest a suspect, 31-year-old Donald Wilson, much to Williams' and other Irvington neighbors' relief.

"It was very concerning to a lot of people," said Dawn Briggs.

Briggs explained that neighbors used a police sketch of the suspect and matched it to a man on the state's sex offender registry website who resembled the man in the sketch.  They told police about the similarities, and police later arrested Wilson.

"I'm not going to live in terror, but I'm not going to be stupid either," said Williams about staying vigilant about the dangers out there.

For Williams, that meant taking a self defense class after her attack.

That's what Marita Bower does with A Fighting Chance, Rape Prevention and Self Defense for Women.

"Most attacks, you end up on the ground, so this is getting to the ground on our terms," explained Bower while lying on the ground, propped up on her elbows.

"We teach women how to use our strong weapons, which are our legs and our hips, against men's weak targets," she explained.

Bower said men's weak targets are their knees, groin, solar plexus, throat and face.

"So, you're pinned to the floor and rape is imminent. What we're going to do is wiggle out to create some space. Have our legs up here to push and then go kick, kick, kick.  Roll, and escape," said Bower, demonstrating how a woman can get away even in the most vulnerable of positions. 

"He's bigger and stronger than you, so you're not going to move him.  You're going to move you," said Bower, explaining the techniques she demonstrated.

"This is for the average woman instead of the martial artist," she added.

Bower has taught more than 500 women in three years.

"Our mantra is be prepared, not scared," Bower said.

And with attacks like the one in Greenwood, IU and Irvington, "You can hurt somebody really bad if they're after you," Williams said after learning self defense.

Williams said more women should know how to defend themselves, if necessary.

There is no set standard for a self defense course.  According to Bower, a course can be as short as two hours or as long as eight weeks.

Bower said whatever the length of the program, it should be based on maximizing options, simple techniques and respect for the experiences and traumas participants might bring to the class.