A young girl is recovering at SickKids after she was assaulted in a wooded area in Shelburne Sunday evening, police say.
Shelburne police say they have a 19-year-old man under arrest and have charged him with aggravated assault. He was arrested the same night.
Police say the assault he is accused of carrying out took place in a park along Cedar Street in town.
It has the community in shock.
“It's unbelievable. I just could not believe it. Just from a small town you never expect it,” says Kelly Madensky, who is shocked the vicious assault happened so close.
The violent attack happened near a park and parents who live nearby are stunned, and almost speechless.
“I didn't think people from Shelburne had it in them,” says Laura Eichhorn. “But I guess they do…”
Police say the 14-year-old girl was viciously attacked by a 19-year-old manshe knows. And it happened somewhere in the bushes.
“I couldn't believe it,” says Sgt. Dave Kerr. “I didn't realize how serious it was until I got to work and saw the images of the young girl. It was horrific.”
Police say the girl was beaten with a weapon, and while badly injured was somehow able to walk herself out of the bush with her bike. She got as far as the sidewalk when some people walking by found her and ran for help. In critical condition at the time, police say they are amazed she was able to get out on her own and, undoubtedly, save her own life.
“She walked out,” Kerrsays. “She was on a bicycle, walked herself out in critical condition. It's amazing. It's truly amazing.”
Police say the teenagers who found the young girl didn't recognize her at first.
“(They) thought she was wearing a mask or something,” says Kerr. “Then when they approached her they realized that she was bleeding.”
Just two hours after 911 was called, police made an arrest.
While police say a weapon was used, they aren’t yet sure what it was. They are still looking for it and are asking people in the area to check their yards.
“If they see anything that’s suspicious, not to touch it, with this object covered in blood right now, it's a possibility,” says Kerr.
Eichhornsays she’s looked, but hasn’t found anything “out of the ordinary.”
Everyone in town is talking about the attack. Parents say they think this incident has changed how they feel about their kids being outside at night.
“A lot of people are scared to let the kids out now,” says Madensky. “To let kids go to the park and play, terrified, you never know.”
Police say the victim and suspect know each other, and they aren’t releasing the man’s name because they don't want to identify the girl.
However, police say the two aren’t related.
