DATE-RAPE DRUG AT ALARMING RATE IN COLLIER, PROJECT HELP SAYS This rapist's victim doesn't say no. She doesn't struggle or scream. And she is usually unaware of what is happening until hours later, when she wakes up partially dressed or finds blood on her sheets. This rapist doesn't lurk in dark parking lots or behind bushes. He meets a woman at popular restaurants and bars or is even invited into her home. He'll slip a little something into her drink - and wait until she is too sick or disoriented and too unaware to resist his sexual advances. Counselors at Project HELP, a Naples crisis center, say this scenario is playing out at an alarming rate in Collier County. In April, they started to notice a surge in drug-induced rapes with about half a dozen victims seeking help from the center. And since May 1, 10 women have told the center that they were drugged and then sexually assaulted. Project HELP advocates suspect they were slipped gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) or Rohypnol, also called roofies. If slipped these substances, which are also known as the forget pill and the date rape drug, a woman may become suddenly ill. An ordinarily shy woman might become a flirt. Often a woman will seem very drunk after only a drink or two. Those 10 drug-induced rapes make up 25 percent of the 40 rapes reported to the center since May 1, Project HELP counselors said. Close to another 40 rapes were reported from January through the end of April. Of the 40 rapes since May, more than half of the victims were drinking. Twenty-two victims knew their rapist and 14 did not. Project HELP is waiting for more information on the remaining four. And the victims of these 40 rapes ranged in age from 12 to 79. "That dispels the myth that only beautiful, young women get raped," said Celeste Infante, a victim advocate and counselor at Project HELP. The counselors didn't discuss all the specifics of the recent drug-related rapes, so as to protect victims' confidentiality - but they would offer some vague accounts. A woman in her 30s recently hosted a neighborhood party at her apartment complex. She served some appetizers, sodas and beer. She suddenly felt extremely tired and had to go to bed before the party ended. Someone had drugged her and then later raped her once the other guests left. And another woman, who is nearly 20, was drugged and then gang-raped by at least four men after an evening with a mutual friend, who introduced the victim to the men. "They have an agenda," explained Arlene Lindell, another victim counselor and advocate at Project HELP. "But unfortunately, women aren't doing all they can do to impede the agenda." Eight of the 10 victims were drinking alcohol before being drugged, Lindell explained, adding that a woman who has been drinking might be an easier target for a rapist, especially if she is alone or leaves her drink unattended. National studies show that fewer than a third of rape victims report their assaults to law enforcement. And women are even less likely to report a drug-induced rape because they often can't remember the details and start to second-guess themselves, Project HELP counselors added. No drug-related rapes have been reported to the Naples Police and Emergency Services Department this year, Acting Chief Steve Moore said, adding that a rape earlier this month is the city's only reported rape this year. During the first half of the year, there were 56 rapes in Collier County, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement statistics. The Collier County Sheriff's Office is investigating some drug-induced rapes, said spokeswoman Tina Osceola. But since the agency doesn't separate those rapes from the total rape count, further information wasn't immediately available. Osceola added that the agency is not, however, aware of any startling trends or similarities in the cases it's investigating. Rape drugs like roofies and GHB are often colorless, odorless and tasteless and can be slipped into any beverage - alcohol, a Coke, a mug of coffee or a glass of water - or even mixed into food. Rohypnol is a medicine prescribed in more than 60 countries for people with severe sleep disorders, though it isn't legally available in the United States, according to its manufacturer, Hoffmann-La Roche. When as little as 2 milligrams is slipped into a beverage, its sedating and impairing effects can last six to eight hours. GHB is a central nervous system depressant that is sometimes used as an anesthetic and for treatment of narcolepsy and alcoholism. It can be manufactured with household chemicals. Both drugs become even more dangerous when mixed with alcohol. "It doesn't mean you have to end your social life," Infante said. "You just have to cover all the bases. Go with your gut feeling. If something doesn't feel right, it isn't." Lindell and Infante urge women to accept a drink only from the waiter or waitress and take it with them during bathroom breaks. If that's not allowed, they should order a fresh one when returning to the table. At parties, women should avoid mixed drinks and homemade concoctions like Jell-O shots. A beer or wine cooler that she opens herself - and keeps in her hand - is a safer bet. "It's so obvious, and yet people don't do it," Infante said. "It's inconvenient." And Project HELP counselors urge women who think they could have been raped to get an exam done immediately and be tested for the drug by authorities as soon as possible, considering it can leave the system in a matter of hours. "Every piece of information helps," Osceola said, adding that even if women can't remember most of what happened, they should still report the crime so that law enforcement officers can investigate. "With each case that occurs, we get another piece of the puzzle." She added that the agency also staffs trained victim advocates - both deputies and civilians - who can offer comfort during the ordeal. Project HELP offers a free rape exam by a female nurse practitioner and counseling and support groups that can help start the healing process. Victims can call Project HELP's 24-hour hotline at (941) 262-7227, or from a pay phone at 1-800-329-7227.
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