BY TANYA BRICKING
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Louise Powers sat on her porch trying to find relief from the heat Friday when she saw one of the most horrifying images in her life: a woman being raped.

A 50-year-old doctor was taking her dog for a walk in her Mount Auburn neighborhood about 12:45 a.m. when, police and neighbors say, a stranger started punching her, slammed her head down and raped her on the corner of Auburn Avenue and Huntington Place.

"I kept hollering, 'Somebody get him off her,' " said Ms. Powers, 74, whose grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren ran outside.

"That man's taking her clothes off!" yelled one of the children, who range in age from 3-15. The oldest girl began to cry.

"Please help me!" the woman called, as her little dog barked. Within seconds, neighbors and a motorist rescued her, holding down the suspect until police arrived.

Tyrone Wooten, 22, of the 2500 block of Williamsburg Drive, Westwood, is in the Hamilton County Justice Center on rape and felonious assault charges.

Cincinnati Police Lt. David Ratliff, commander of the personal crimes unit, praised neighbors for getting involved.

"They really prevented a great deal of trauma to this lady," he said.

She was treated Friday at University Hospital.

Her case is one of between 300 and 400 rape reports Cincinnati police investigate each year. The difference with hers is that most rape suspects are not strangers. Three out of four rape victims know their attackers, according to the U.S. Justice Department. The incident put the Mount Auburn neighbors on edge.

Ms. Powers gathered her great-grandchildren Friday afternoon, telling them she wanted to keep an eye on them.

"It's such a shame," she said. "This has just made me so scared."