Runners on high alert at White Rock Lake as police search for sexual assault suspect

DALLAS – There is an increased police presence around White Rock Lake following a report of a sexual assault last week.

Runners also take additional precautions.

Dallas police released a sketch of the wanted man on Tuesday. The victim described him as short and thin with red hair and a beard.

Police are asking White Rock Lake residents to be on the lookout for the suspect.

After a long-awaited break from Dallas’s stormy weather, people hit White Rock Lake on Wednesday.

“I feel very safe running and here at the lake, so it’s surprising,” said jogger Ann Seifrick.

To ensure this security, there was also an increased police presence on Wednesday.

Police say a woman was sexually assaulted while jogging near Mockingbird Lane and West Lawther Drive last week. The attack occurred in broad daylight around noon on May 30.

The woman said the man attacked her from behind and gave investigators a detailed description of the suspect: a thin white man, 5’5″ tall, with red hair and a beard. Police also said the man may have scratches on his face and body.

Natalie Merrill says she never walks without her Indian spearhead in her hand.

“My dad gave it to me years ago,” she said. “You hear comments like, ‘You shouldn’t walk alone at night.’ So now we can’t walk alone because it happens in the middle of the day too.”

On Wednesday evening, members of the White Rock Running cooperative met for their weekly run.

News of the sexual harassment weighed heavily on Merrill, especially after a scary incident about a year ago. Fortunately, she says, she got away with it.

“A man stopped his car and asked me to get in. I said no,” she recalled. “I drove back and forth, and he kept following me in his car, and he asked me again to get in.”

The running group recently reminded its members to please ask if they are looking for a running partner.

Kristy Hall of the Dallas Running Club tries to avoid solo running.

“I definitely always feel a little unsafe alone,” she said.

If so, Hall has also published her safety checklist.

“I share my location while I’m running. I make sure someone knows I’m about to start running. I carry a club,” she said.

Hall says the Dallas Running Club invited Dallas police just a few months ago to teach them about runner safety.