By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

A lot of what McPherson County Sheriff Jerry Montagne told 90 Marion County women at a self-defense training session last week amounted to using their brains as their first line of defense.

Self-defense often means using common sense and making smart decisions.

“Don’t drive alone in a car low on gas or in poor repair,” Montagne said.

Women should use busy, well-lighted streets as much as possible.

Montagne told women not to walk alone at night if they were depressed, exhausted, or had been drinking.

If a woman were a victim of a crime, the fact she had been drinking could be used to harm her testimony in court.

While carrying a weapon might be a good idea, he said, she should know the weapon could be used against her.

He also advised women to trust their senses.

“When a situation feels uncomfortable, it might be dangerous,” he said. “You have a right to be afraid.”

He also advised women that if they were sexually assaulted and chose to fight, they should have no qualms about injuring their attacker.

If a woman chooses to comply, she should not feel guilty, he said.

“It’s still rape,” he said.

He also said it was important to preserve evidence. A woman should put her fingerprints everywhere she can as trace evidence and resist the urge to go home and take a shower.