Opinion ID: 2160381
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Assault on Alice Fisher

Text: Robert Fisher asked Officer Claiborn to drive slowly to the station so that his wife and her sisters could follow in the Fishers' truck. He agreed to do so, but after travelling only a short distance had to stop and wait for the women who themselves had stopped. After waiting briefly, he proceeded to the station without them. According to the Fishers, the women had stopped the truck because they were distraught and confused. At some point, a second police cruiser, driven by Officer John Poland, pulled up behind them. Eleanor Duckett, who had been driving the pickup truck, got out and explained to Poland what had happened and asked that he take care of her sisters. She had decided to drive her Volkswagen to the station house so that both vehicles would be available in the event Robert Fisher was released that night. After Duckett left, Boyle and Alice Fisher conferred with Officer Poland on the street. They related to him that neither was in a condition to drive: Boyle did not feel comfortable driving the Fishers' truck and Mrs. Fisher was too upset. Although Officer Poland agreed that neither should drive, because of police regulations he refused their request for a ride to the station. He did, however, consent to their parking the truck in a nearby lot. Shortly after Boyle left to park the Fishers' truck, Officer Poland drove off, leaving Alice Fisher alone on the street. An unknown assailant immediately seized on the opportunity by grabbing Fisher and pulling her into a dark grassy area. There she was beaten, robbed, and raped. After the assailant left, Fisher ran to a nearby firehouse, arriving at 4:37 a.m. (E.D.T.), and reported the assault. Appellees dispute several aspects of the Fishers' version of the circumstances surrounding this assault. First, they point to an argument between Mrs. Fisher and Boyle as the reason Duckett initially stopped the pickup truck and proceeded to the police station on her own. Appellees also suggest that after Duckett left, Officer Poland came upon the scene and talked briefly with Fisher and Boyle. He then left, however, and a few minutes later returned and saw Boyle alone. When Boyle told the officer that Fisher had disappeared, the two searched for her briefly and then went to the police station. There they learned that Fisher had gone to the fire station and reported that she had been raped.