In a very short window of time two rapes in Covington were reported to the King County Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement officials view the attacks as fairly unusual for the town of less than 20,000.

During the 48 hour period of July 27-28, one woman was raped by a stranger as she was walking to her car in the parking lot of a fitness center while another woman was raped by an acquaintance with a criminal record.

According to statistics provided by the sheriff’s office, there were 215 reported rapes and attempted rapes in 2007 and 194 in 2008. Of those 194, 40 were closed by law enforcement.

In Covington there were nine reported rapes in 2007 and six in 2008. There were five in 2007 and four in 2008 in Maple Valley.

Sgt. John Urquhart, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said the two different assaults show how each situation can be different and as a result, “there is no one answer, no one size fits all” solution to protect yourself.

The woman who was attacked outside the fitness center, Urquhart said, was carrying a can of mace “but she said it had no effect on him and that it had more effect on her.”

“In one situation, you will fight, you will end up dead,” he said. “In another situation if you don’t fight, you will end up dead, and in other situations if you fight you will get away.”

The sheriff’s office does not endorse or recommend any of the particular self-defense courses or other options presented to women looking to protect themselves against assailants.

“It’s always better to do what you can, but, it’s no guarantee,” he said. “The best thing you can do is think about it and plan ahead the best you can. If there’s one piece of advice I can give, and this is something I tell my wife, is to carry your cell phone in your hand and keep it preprogrammed to 911. Even if you don’t talk we can hear you and we can pinpoint where you are. We’ll go looking for you.”

John Robinson, a karate instructor and owner of Pacific Martial Arts Academy, teaches a women’s self-defense class once a quarter at Lake Wilderness Lodge in Maple Valley through the city’s parks and recreation department.

“I think I’ve offered 10 or 12 (classes) since we started teaching there,” Robinson said. “The first hour we talk about awareness, that’s the key, what to look for, how not to put yourself in awkward situations and the typical attacks. It’s not like the movies, it’s not a stranger that’s tattooed and pierced and hiding in the bushes.”

During the class, Robinson addresses the importance of awareness, statistics and attacks.

“We talk about some de-escalation techniques, both verbal and non-verbal, how to say no with your voice and with your body,” Robinson said. “And if all else fails, some very basic, but effective self-defense techniques.”

There are myths and pre-conceived notions about assaults, Robinson said, that he tries to dispel in the class.

Robinson said he had assisted in instructing women’s self defense classes with other schools and found them to be too commercial while also not offering the best content for students.

His wife suggested he offer a class that taught the kinds of things he wanted her and their daughters to know.

It is critical, Urquhart said, that if you are assaulted and raped that you call 911.

“The first thing a victim of a rape wants to do is take a shower,” Urquhart said. “That’s the last thing we want them to do. Report it immediately. Let us come and collect evidence.”

From there, going to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to get a physical examination is the next step for residents of King County.

King County Sexual Assault and Resource Center is the primary provider for help to victims after they have been raped. Advocates from center encourage going to the hospital as one of the first steps.

“There is no cost to you for this initial emergency exam. The hospital will bill Crime Victims Compensation directly for the cost of the exam,” the center’s website said. “If you have already bathed, rest easy. You can still report to the police if you choose to and there may be evidence in your clothes that can be preserved. For adults, reporting to the police is an individual choice. You can go to the hospital emergency room within 72 hours of the assault to be checked out physically without reporting to the police. The most important thing is to get some assurance from a doctor that you are physically well. If you have further questions, do not hesitate to call our 24-hour Resource Line and speak to an advocate counselor. They can talk you through what you can expect from a medical exam or the initial police report. The advocate can also connect you with our follow up services which can include counseling or legal advocacy.”

The city of Covington provides some funding to the center, explained human services specialist Victoria Throm.

“Covington has funded them to provide services to our residents since we began human services,” Throm said in an e-mail. “I get quarterly reports from them with Covington statistics such as how many clients served, legal advocacy hours and child advocacy hours.”

In 2009, the center served 43 Covington residents, provided 290.5 hours of legal advocacy and 51.25 hours of child advocacy.

“We are the primary provider and only provider of comprehensive services to victims and their families and communities related to sexual assault and violence,” said the center’s Executive Director Mary Ellen Stone. “We offer a 24/7 help line … to pretty extensive help through the legal system to pretty extensive therapy for teens, children and adults. We also do prevention education programming.”

Stone said rapes by strangers are unusual in terms of the clients they work with, in fact of the 2,700 cases a year, only about 10 percent of the clients were assaulted by a stranger.

“That’s the sort of thing that really spikes people’s attention way up there,” Stone said. “The other 90 percent are known to the victim whether that’s a co-worker, a neighbor, employer or friend of the victim.”

This is where prevention can come in, Stone explained, because often people are concerned about offending someone who is manipulating a situation to get close to potential victims.

“I can’t tell you how often we hear from parents or even young people that this person is making them uncomfortable, they’re really being more friendly than they ought to be,” Stone said. “We really want to urge people to trust their instincts if someone is moving into your space that way whether it’s over time or one particular incident.”

Stone said anyone who has concerns, particularly after the recent attacks, to “feel free to reach out for help.”

“At this point people are at this heightened level of alert,” she said. “If people see something that they have a question about, or it just makes them uncomfortable, they can call the police or they can always call us. It is spooky to hear about these kinds of incidents.”

For more information about the the center, log on to www.kcsarc.org or to reach the 24-hour help line call 888-99-VOICE.

For more information on the women’s self-defense class offered at Lake Wilderness Lodge log on to www.pacificmartialartsacademy.com or go to the Maple Valley Parks and Recreation Department or call 425-432-9953. The next class will be offered Sept. 14 at the lodge.