Woman reported being accosted on walking trail where youngster was murdered only days before

C8

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

2 Comment(s)

EDSON, Alta. - Residents in an Alberta town are angry after police say a second attack on a woman a few days after a teenager was murdered was false.

The young woman reported that she had been accosted while on a walking path in east Edson last Tuesday afternoon. She gave a detailed description of the alleged attacker, but police said late Friday night the incident has no "reasonable grounds."

"Investigators reached the conclusion that the allegations of the second walking path incident are unfounded," RCMP said in a news release.

Last Saturday, just days earlier, Emily Stauffer, 14, was murdered while walking along a different path in a residential area. Hundreds turned out for her funeral on Friday.

News of a second attack put residents of Edson on edge.

"After that one, the whole town basically shut down, everyone's scared, hiding, nervous, you know, you're guarding your kids," said resident Jean Chouinard.

Many residents bought pepper spray, some changed the lock on their doors and others didn't feel safe leaving their homes.

Schools in the town west of Edmonton were locked down after news of the second attack. The following day, school officials enacted a closed-campus policy, where students could not leave school property after they had been dropped off.