Residents Wary of Bridge After Woman Assaulted Over Weekend

Monday, police are still searching for a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman this past weekend on the Ocean Springs-Biloxi Bridge. The bridge is a popular location for joggers and bicyclists, but the details of this shocking crime have many scared.

Sandra Webb and her friend, Rodney Beard, walk the bridge often. News of this weekend’s sexual assault on the popular bridge and walking and running path shocked them. The crime shocked him. Beard says, “I feel that it’s tragic. I walk it every day.” Webb says, “Was sort of saddened when I heard the news.”

Webb says she no longer feels safe walking the bridge alone. She also says, “Until I heard that it was different, but until I heard that news, I did not.”

According to police, the suspect is a black male, about 30 to 32 years old. He’s tall and has a thin build. At the time of the assault, he was wearing blue jeans, a gray jacket, and a blue ball cap with ‘Miami’ written on the front in orange lettering. Most people News 25 spoke with Monday consider the bridge a safe place to walk, but this recent tragedy has many scared.

While the crime actually happened on the Ocean Springs side of the bridge, Biloxi Police are upping patrols in the area. Sgt. Jackie Rhodes of the Biloxi Police Department says, “Both Ocean Springs and Biloxi patrol it on a regular basis. In fact, we’re probably going to assign some officers at different times and days just to be there to pay attention to what’s going on.”

Police also recommend safety in numbers. Rhodes says, “It’s always safer to travel in groups.” If you are in a situation where you fear for your safety, Sgt. Rhodes says, “Go to a store, go to a gas station, go somewhere where there are other people. Most of us have cell phones. Call 911. We would rather you call 911 and it be nothing than not call and it be something serious.”