Opinion ID: 2262565
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Gudaz Incident

Text: ¶ 7 On January 28, 2006, Jennifer Gudaz was jogging on the shoulder of a road that abutted Lake Samish, near Bellingham. As Gudaz headed north on the road, she noticed a white van, driving south, go past her. The driver of the van made no contact with Gudaz and, consequently, at that time she was unconcerned. ¶ 8 Later the same van, now driving north, came up next to Gudaz and stopped. The driver of the van asked Gudaz if she could provide directions to an address. After he gave her an address, Gudaz indicated that she could not help him. Gudaz testified that she was a little bit nervous at this time and didn't feel comfortable. Id. at 85, ¶ 9 Gudaz, who had continued running, later saw the van moving down a driveway. Gudaz indicated that she felt a little more comfortable at that point because she thought the driver had found where he was going. Id. at 86-87. However, the van subsequently drove by Gudaz and stopped in front of her. The driver, at this point, again asked Gudaz for directions telling her that he did not know where he wanted to go. He later asked Gudaz how to get to the freeway. The driver also tried to hand Gudaz a clipboard, saying that he wanted her to draw him a map. Gudaz drew the requested map, gave the driver directions, and started jogging again as the van left. Gudaz said that by this time she was pretty frustrated and pretty scared. Id. at 113. ¶ 10 Gudaz later saw the van on the side of the road and ran past it. Shortly thereafter the van pulled up next to her again. It then crossed into the oncoming lane, faced the wrong way, and came within one foot of Gudaz. The driver said, `Do you need a ride?' Id. at 91. Gudaz answered, [N]o. Id. The driver then asked, `You don't need money?' Id. Gudaz responded by pointing up the road, saying, `No. Maybe your road is up there.' Id. She then started running again. The van continued traveling in the same direction as Gudaz until it left her sight. ¶ 11 Gudaz, frightened by what she had experienced, ran down a road toward Lake Samish and hid between a fence and a shed for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. She said that by this time she was really scared and a mess. Id. at 93. When Gudaz saw two bicyclists picking berries, she came out from her hiding place and ran toward them. The bicyclists accompanied Gudaz to a nearby county park. ¶ 12 On their way to the park, Gudaz and the bicyclists saw the van coming toward them. They observed it travelling slowly as it rounded a corner and then increase speed as it drove quickly past Gudaz and the bicyclists. Gudaz testified that she was freaked out after the van drove by. Id. at 95. She had no further contact with the van or its driver. When Gudaz and the bicyclists reached the county park, Gudaz called 911. The entire incident, according to Gudaz, took place in approximately one hour or less. ¶ 13 Gudaz reported the van's license plate number to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Department. The van was registered to Clarence Kintz's wife, Mary Kintz. About a week after the incident, Clarence Kintz told a deputy from the sheriff's department that he initially contacted Gudaz on the morning of January 28 because he was lost and that after driving around the lake, he had asked her for directions. Kintz denied offering Gudaz a ride or money.