Woman gets help fending off rape attempt

By Shannon Sessions

For The Herald

LYNNWOOD — Before May 5, walking to work through Scriber Lake Park was a ritual for one Lynnwood woman, until a man with a knife threatened to rape her.

But the woman is safe, thanks to her cool head and the intervention of strangers. The woman told the man that she didn’t have time for sex and that her husband was nearby, police said.

According to police reports, the woman saw the man at about 8:30 a.m. that Sunday and was immediately fearful of him. When she saw him approaching from behind, she started walking faster, but the man caught up with her and asked for a cigarette. When she said no, he asked if she wanted to have sex.

Trying to be calm, she said, "No, I’m on my way to work."

The man then grabbed her and put a knife to her throat, police said. Commanding that she go with him to a secluded corner of the park, he held the knife to her abdomen and pressed his lips to hers.

Afraid for her life, the woman spotted a couple in the park and cried out for help. The couple came rushing to her aid, and the man ran off.

The couple called 911, and an Edmonds police officer was able to apprehend the man and book him into jail.

John Stansell, deputy county prosecutor, said that Steve E. Newberg, 29, on Tuesday was charged in Snohomish County Superior Court with one count of first-degree kidnap with a deadly weapon and sexual motivation.

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