Flasher warning

Word was being passed today between walkers that there was a flasher in the Old Forest this morning. I got it second hand (from someone who talked to her directly) that a friend of mine was flashed on the jogging trail. A short, stocky guy in a gray track suit was hiding in the fringe of the woods and stepped out onto the trail as she approached and pulled down his pants. She'd seen him earlier in the week as well.

The police had been called as I was leaving the park, but this is a good reminder that it's never a bad idea for women to walk back through the forested areas with a buddy or a big dog. We've made a lot of strides toward safety in the last few decades in Overton Park, but urban forests by their nature in location and lack of visibility can occasionally be taken advantage of by creeps and dangerous people. I got flashed in a similar setting in Athens once -- a big, forested park just opposite the Acropolis. So be cautious, walk with a friend when possible, and call the police if there are any problems. We want this stuff on their radar.