Pat Fuller identifies herself as victim of home invasion sexual assault

Selectman Pat Fuller has publicly identified herself as the victim of a home-invasion sexual assault on Nov. 12 of last year. She announced that she is taking a three month break from public affairs and will resume her duties in mid-July.

"My life has also gone through a major change recently and with everything that has happened in the last six months, I need to take a break," she wrote in a letter to the editor that is published in today's paper on page 7.

"My desire to serve Alton as your selectman has not waned," she said. I will be back stronger than ever. Thank you for your understanding during this time of renewal."

The day after the crime, police announced only that they were seeking the public's help in identifying the perpetrator of a home invasion, assault crime on Youngstown Road. They did not reveal there was a sexual element to the incident.

Police reported that a white male wearing a dark-colored ski-mask entered the home brandishing a handgun at about 9:30 p.m. on a Thursday evening. And that the victim has been transported to the hospital and was released after receiving treatment for minor injuries.

In her letter to the newspaper, Fuller said she is sharing her situation publicly with Alton residents at this time because she has always been "open and honest about myself and my life" and because she wants to encourage all women who find themselves in the same position to do whatever they have to do to survive and then report the crime. "Get help," she urged, "Alton's Police and Fire Departments are well trained and sensitive in handling these (type of) events. Do not blame yourself or feel ashamed, you did nothing wrong,"

Fuller said that after the perpetrator left her home she had to get herself collected before she called 911, but she did it. "I felt guilty for not doing something to prevent it, but I survived," she said.