Rest Stop Nightmares

Better Safe than Sorry

Highway rest areas can be a lifesaver for weary travelers who spend hours, and in some cases days, navigating the nation’s infrastructure. Unfortunately, much like other places that cater to those who are just passing through, they have a tendency to attract a fringe element that most of us, if we’re lucky, never encounter. The following true accounts illustrate what can happen when everyday people looking for a break from the road are preyed upon by trouble walking on two legs.

While driving along US-64 in the fall of 2009, Cheryl King and her mother Kay decided to pull into a rest stop to use the facilities and stretch their legs. As they got out of their car and headed toward the front entrance, they had no way of knowing that they were walking straight into the path of danger.

As they stepped inside and made their way to the ladies’ room, they noticed two men, one middle-aged, the other in his late teens/early twenties, standing just outside the large open area that led to the restrooms.

Although they hadn’t said it out loud, neither woman felt comfortable walking past the imposing pair who were lurking in a place they clearly didn’t belong. Looking around and seeing that there was no one else in sight, Cheryl had taken her mother by the arm and guided her in the direction of the exit.