DATE: Sunday, April 13, 1997                TAG: 9704130075

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:   25 lines

RAPE ON HAMPTON FITNESS TRAIL WORRIES EXERCISE ENTHUSIASTS

A woman was raped on a popular Hampton exercise trail last week, frightening many exercise enthusiasts and forcing women to find a new workout spot.

Police say the victim was walking on the Matteson fitness trail at dusk Thursday. The 3.1-mile trail, which winds around businesses and a golf course, is popular among joggers and skaters.

The woman was pulled into a wooded area, threatened with a knife, slapped, ordered to strip and raped, police said. She later fled and was treated at Riverside Regional Medical Center and released, police said.

The attack has frightened many women who use the trail.

``I'm certainly going to change my pattern,'' said Hampton resident Mary Elizabeth Jones, who arrives at the trail before dawn to begin her walk.

Investigators are searching for the assailant described as a 35-to 40-year-old white male of medium build with a rough complexion. KEYWORDS: RAPE SEX CRIME

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