More victims of domestic abuse are coming forward
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JACKSON, Tenn. — Local activists say there may be one good thing that is coming from the release of the video showing former Baltimore Raven Ray Rice hitting his now-wife. They said more victims of domestic abuse are coming forward. One Jackson woman said after an alleged incident with her husband this week she is filing for divorce. Rhonda Lynn is still healing from an attack she said came at the hands of her husband. Her husband, Russell Wheeler was charged on Monday with four counts including domestic abuse. Rhonda was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 15-years ago and is currently undergoing treatment for colon and liver cancer. She said during the Sunday attack, Wheeler dragged her inside their home, tied her up to the bed with an extension cord, then locked her in the closet for more than three hours. “It was so hot I really did think I was going to die then,” Lynn said. Lynn said she tried to escape by releasing the pins or breaking down the door with a ten pound weight, but she was too weak. Daryl Chansuthus with the Wo/men’s Resource and Rape Assistance Program said Lynn is not alone. WRAP has seen a 50 percent increase in calls for help so far this month. “Essentially we’ve had the same amount of calls in the first two weeks of September that we had in the entire month of September last year,” Chansuthus said. She believes it has a lot to do with the national attention on the Ray Rice case. “More people do see those messages, do examine their own situations, and do reach out for help,” said Chansuthus. Rhonda said she is filed for a restraining order against her husband and plans to file for divorce. Russell Wheeler is currently jailed in lieu of $20,000 bond. The trend of more calls for help by domestic abuse victims is not something that is just happening here. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is reporting an 84 percent increase in phone calls since the Ray Rice video was leaked.
