Mother of pharmacist captures alleged sexual predator

One local pharmacist has expressed her disappointment with the attitude of the police, who she says failed to respond satisfactorily, when she complained about the advances of an alleged sex predator.{{more}}

Lisa Casino, pharmacist at Lights Pharmacy in Arnos Vale, said she is still shaken by the turn of events, which reached a head on Wednesday, when her mother Elizabeth Medford and sister Sherise confronted a man identified as Dennis, after he made yet another inappropriate sexual advance towards her, at her work place.

“A couple weeks ago, I told the police about this guy [who] was freaking me out, but they never paid any attention to me,” Casino told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday.

“Last Friday (April 27) he came into the store and told me I must wear skirts instead of pants.”

Casino said the latest ordeal began on Monday this week, when the man entered the store behind a customer, and when the customer left, ‘Dennis’ performed a lewd sex act in her presence.

“He was standing just two feet in front of me and he took out his penis and started to masturbate. A customer came in and he left….”

“I called the police at Calliaqua, who told me I didn’t have any witnesses; and that I did not have a name of the guy.”

Casino, who admitted that she didn’t know the man’s name at the time, made some enquiries and was informed his name was ‘Dennis’.

She said when she called the police, she was shocked by the response she received over the phone.

“I spoke to a female officer on the phone, and she told me I was assuming. I go and do their job and they tell me I am assuming.

“After about an hour, I decided to go to the station and a guy said to me the same thing.”

“I tell them I was offended and violated and I want to press charges; and they do nothing,” Casino lamented.

The situation came to a climax on Wednesday when ‘Dennis’ showed up at her workplace and started banging on the door at 7:30 in the morning, demanding to be let inside.

She said she refused to open the door, at which point the man left, promising to return in one hour.

Casino said she called the police and told them what transpired. She said they informed her that they had no one to send to the scene.

“I called my mother; who was at home at the time, and I BBMed (Blackberry messaged) my sister, and they came over to the pharmacy.

“At 12:00 he came, and my mother asked him if he is the guy who does harass me, and he said ‘yes’; and my mom scuffle him up and push him in the chair, and my sister grabbed the cables and tied him up.”

According to Casino, numerous calls were made to the Calliaqua police, who were informed that the suspect had been apprehended, but they responded that they had no transport to come to the Arnos Vale.

By this time, the exasperated women decided to get the media involved, and calls were made to various media houses; including SEARCHLIGHT, who turned up at the scene.

The man, who appeared calm while SEARCHLIGHT was present, admitted that he was attracted to the visibly shaken Casino, but said that the situation was being blown out of proportion, and that it was ‘no big thing’.

“It’s not until my mother threatened to called the Commissioner [of Police Keith Miller] that they decided to show up,” said Casino, shortly before the police turned up.

When the police finally arrived, ‘Dennis’ was hustled off to a waiting police transport; and Casino was asked to visit the Calliaqua Police Station to file a report.

When SEARCHLIGHT contacted the Calliaqua police station to ascertain if the man had been charged, the officer on duty indicated that he was not in a position to divulge that information, and pointed out that he had no knowledge of any complaint being lodged by the complainant against the suspect.

Meanwhile, Casino indicated that she does not feel any safer since the man has been detained, and disclosed that she intends to put greater security measures in place.

She indicated that she feels let down and disappointed by the way the ordeal was handled by the police, and opined that ‘unless you know somebody,’ nothing usually gets done.

“This is why we have so much crime and violence…. They have to wait until somebody rape you, before they do something.”