Neighbors want wooded path where woman was raped in Bartram Park to be cleaned up

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Neighbors are now returning to the area where a woman says she was raped in front her child. It happened on a heavily traveled path between a group of homes and a shopping center. But the concern is if the area isn't cleaned up, other people could become targets.

The Action News Jax Skyvision drone captured the wooded area between Shoppes at Bartram Park and the neighborhood.
   
It's the same area where police say Sion Henry, who was arrested Friday, attacked a woman on a mattress that was lying along that walkway on Feb. 19.

“I pay extra to live here and after the incident it scared me to death,” said Teresa Rollins.

Rollins said she and other women walk the path weekly, but they stopped after a woman was attacked and raped along the path.

After a week of searching for the suspect, Henry was arrested but neighbors say they’re still not 100 percent comfortable walking around.

“It broke my safety net and I became even more cautious than I normally was,” Rollins said.

Neighbors say the area where the woman was attacked is filled with trash and isn't only an eyesore but a safety hazard.

“There's nasty bed frames and mattresses and beer bottles and Coke bottles and it has to be cleaned up cause it looks nasty,” Paul Bain said.

Families want something done. For hours Monday, Action News Jax went back and forth with property companies to figure who owns this strip of wooded area.

We called Regency Centers, who say they own the Shoppes at Bartram Park, but claim the wooded area behind their building is not their property. Instead, they say it belongs to the St. Johns Water Management Districts.

We called the St. Johns Water Management Districts, and they said it belonged to Bartram Park. Action News Jax has a call in to Bartram Park management and we are waiting to hear back.

Neighbors said they just want to know they'll be safe in the future

“I'm glad they caught the guy by still it's going to take time to get over this,” Rollins said.

Henry is scheduled to be back in court March 21.

Cox Media Group