Woman beaten downtown; police stepping up efforts to curb crime

Cedar Rapids police have been tracking crime in the downtown area. They say criminal mischief has increased this winter compared to last. But in other areas like assaults, thefts, and OWIs, the numbers have stayed about the same. In fact, the number of public intoxication reports have actually gone down.

This weekend, Erika Visger was beaten up by a man while she says she was trying to stop a fight.

“I've been kicked by a horse. This was a lot worse,” she said. “By the time I got home, they had an ambulance waiting for me. So, it was kind of scary.”

Her fiancé, David Childress, said, “It was nerve-wracking to see guys go after girls like that … I didn't expect a full-grown guy to attack a woman like that.”

By the time it was over, Visger had a broken nose, concussion, stitches and muscle damage. Police say they know people think crime is on the rise.

“We hear the same things everyone else does, but it's really hard to do something about it unless somebody steps forward,” Cedar Rapids Police Sergeant Cristy Hamblin said. “We have stepped up our presence in the downtown area. But look at the sheer numbers, they're really not a lot different than they were last year.”

Visger has filed a police report and hopes someone will get charged. In the meantime, she's finishing up her degree in criminal justice.

“I've always wanted to help people. This just makes me believe there's a lot more people out there that need to be put away,” Visger said.

Police are still searching for the man who hit Visger. She says she's going to have to have surgery on her nose as a result of the incident.