Planning ahead a critical first step in escaping abuse
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer
If you or someone you know is thinking about leaving an abusive relationship, there are some things that are good to know.
Safe haven: Domestic violence hits home
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer
Editor’s note: The names of domestic violence victims Linda and Anne, who were interviewed for this story, have been changed.
The afternoon Linda decided to leave her fiancé, she waited until he was asleep, put a slip of paper with the phone number of the Haywood County Reach Shelter in her pocket along with her cell phone, and walked out the back door very quietly.
Do what it takes to protect battered women
There was so much blood all over the place that her home looked more like a slaughterhouse. That’s what she said. She said that he chased her back into the bathroom and she felt the cold, sharp barrel of a pistol pushed hard against her head, and his threats, always with the threats he came, relentless, unpredictable, set off by anything, set off by nothing at all. How many times had he beaten her bloody, threatened to kill her, lost control utterly? She didn’t say.
