ESTACADA, OR — When HotMovies.com writer and HotMoviesForHer developer Julie Degroot and her friend Joshua Lange left scenic Bagby Hot Springs in order to trek back to the parking lot, the last thing on their minds was likely to be violence — but that is exactly what awaited them.At approximately 8:00pm on Monday, October 2nd, Degroot and Lange returned from a trail hike in the usually serene wilderness area to the sound of car alarms and the sight of an as-yet unidentified white male on a rampage. Interrupted while breaking into parked vehicles, the man began shouting at the two, convinced that they somehow knew his license number.
Screaming, “Tell me you don’t know my number, tell me you don’t know my number – I’ll bash your head-in!” he menaced the two with a wooden baseball bat, swinging at Degroot’s head and demanding that Lange give up his wallet. Although able to shield and protect her face with her hands, the tip of Degroot’s thumb tip was severely damaged. Although her companion did as ordered by their assailant, he was immediately and repeatedly struck with the bat until his arm was broken and the bat shattered.
Degroot, who had noticed that her car’s windows were among those that had been destroyed, then became the focus of the man’s rage once again.
While striking her violently with the remains of the bat, the man demanded that she hand over her valuables, which she did to the best of her ability. Not yet satisfied, the attacker continued smashing windows in Degroot’s vehicle and then insisted that the two terrified and injured hikers strip naked. According to Degroot, the headlights of an oncoming vehicle provided her and Lange with the opportunity to escape and receive assistance from another, uninvolved person in the area, who took them to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
After reporting the vicious assault, Degroot and Lange were transported to Legacy Emanual Hospital where their injuries were treated and they were released.
It is believed that Degroot and Lange saw their crazed attacker earlier in the day, with a pregnant female at the Promitory Store just east of Estacada, along the Clackamas River. Although not apparently directly uninvolved with the violent incident, the woman was seen at the trailhead during it and, along with her male companion, is believed to be associated with at least two different automobiles: a 1987 Metallic blue Toyota Corolla hatchback and a mid-’90s purple Grand Am type sedan.
According to an email from Degroot, who is resting after the incident and learning how to do daily tasks with her left hand while recovering from her injuries, the two friends have been overwhelmed by a “very touching outpouring of caring assistance from some very good folks.”
“This has been a really frightening experience,” she admits, “but we are very thankful that things were not worse and are happy to be so well-loved… and alive.”
The suspects are described as a white male in his mid 20s, 5’9″ tall, 150 pounds, with brown, shaggy hair and an unshaven face, who wore a white ball cap with black mesh on the back during the attack. The name “Chris” may be associated with him. His companion, who is believed to have driven the get-away vehicle, is a white female believed to be in her mid-20s, 5’5″ tall, with brown wavy hair pulled back from her head and approximately seven months pregnant. Anyone with information about the incident are urged to call the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 503-723-4949.
