A brutal attack in North Texas brings positive change – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

A brutal attack has brought about some positive changes in Tarrant County.

Happy + Safe Trails was founded in 2017.

Jesca Arnold during one of her routine walks on the Trinity River Trails on a September weekend.

“There was this crazy guy riding around naked on his bike who thought I was an easy target because I was alone,” she said.

When he approached her, she did what she had been taught: she called 911.

“And I said, ‘Leave me alone, I’m calling 911,’ and when I said that, he got really angry and lunged at me, took my phone, threw it in the river and started attacking me,” she said.

She remembered hearing a response from a 911 operator, but she had no chance to tell them exactly where she was, and the operator hadn’t lasted long enough to relay her location.

“I know that I was either…strangled until I passed out, and then I woke up and was punched in the face until I passed out. And that happened, like, several times. Each time I woke up, I was in a different place, like further down the trail,” Jesca said.

She was raped and beaten. She said the last time she was conscious, she was talking to her attacker.

“I just remember saying, ‘Why? Why are you doing this?’ And then he finally stopped. And I didn’t know at that point that someone had seen me and was coming. And he said, ‘I’ll let you go if you promise not to scream.’ And I said, ‘Okay, I won’t scream,’ and I grabbed my shoe and ran,” she said.

She ran to a nearby neighborhood and banged on doors for someone to answer.

Finally she jumped in front of a car.

“I probably scared the poor old couple because I know I looked scary. By that point I was already blue and swollen,” she said.

She collapsed in a driveway as more people came out and called 911.

A neighbor called Jesca’s father, Don.

“She said, ‘I have Jesca here. She’s fine, but I want to prepare you because it’s really bad. It looks like her eye socket is broken and she’s really bad,'” recalls Don, still barely able to understand the story through his tears.

“We really had no idea how dark and lonely the next four years would be,” he added.

Shortly after the attack, Don had the idea to start a nonprofit organization with his daughter to promote hiking trail safety.

“I just always felt like God had a purpose for this, you know?” Don said. “It seemed like it could be done, you know? The community can come together and create a place that makes public lands safe for families.”

Jesca initially rejected the idea. It was only when another woman was attacked four years later that she became a pioneer for safety on hiking trails.

“She got away, but it still made me so angry. When someone told me, I cried all the way home because I was so… I didn’t want this to happen again,” Jesca said.

She asked her father if he still wanted to start a nonprofit, and that’s how Happy + Safe Trails was born.

The goal is to create a safety loop where a system of cameras and other equipment can provide greater safety on at least some of Tarrant County’s 100-plus miles of hiking trails.

Last week, the nonprofit donated two Smart Poles to the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD).

The masts had a total value of about $35,000 and are said to be connected to the Fort Worth Police Department’s real-time data center.

They are equipped with an emergency call button and two cameras – one with a wide angle, the other with pan, tilt and zoom functions, controlled from the police headquarters.

Don explained that the masts also have gunshot detection systems.

“Gang detection is the technology used today to detect screams,” he said.

At their last meeting, the TRWD accepted the donation and explained that they are working with the police to test the technology and ensure that it is compatible with their system.

The Arnolds hope the tests will last about five months and that more towers will be added to the system.

They say they are looking for companies willing to pay for and sponsor the towers, and that their GoFundMe campaign remains open to anyone else who would like to donate.

Don said they would also appreciate any volunteer help they can get as they try to persuade government groups to support the initiative.

“I want it to be finished yesterday,” said Jesca, laughing. “But you know it will work out.”

Jesca still suffers from the effects of that attack almost seven years ago, as if her nervous system was damaged.

“You get PTSD and anxiety and things like that, but it’s more physical pain, like there’s permanent damage to my spine and head. I have constant migraines and neck pain,” she said.

But she and her father say their journey, and hopefully that of the community, has taken a much more positive turn.

“You don’t trust your body anymore, you don’t trust yourself, you don’t know what to trust or where to go. So when you have something bigger like the (smart bar system), you feel like you can relax a little bit, and you want everyone to feel that way,” Jesca said.