Parents Rethink Safety In Their Own Backyard
SAN DIEGO — The Poway community celebrates the life of Chelsea King in a special memorial on Saturday. San Diego County is still reeling from the tragic loss of King and Escondido teenager Amber Dubois. The two cases have caused parents to consider the safety of their own children regardless of where they live.
A long driveway leads to Becky Sangha’s Escondido house. Sangha plays catch with two dogs on her spacious front lawn. She can see the Palomar Mountains from here.
Two weeks ago she was hiking near Lake Hodges with her five year old daughter. She heard something in the bushes that she thought was a deer. Out walked a man she later realized was James Gardener. Three hours later he was arrested as a suspect in King’s disappearance.
“I can’t believe we can come so close to being with these people and he could have lived in a great community that was just next doors to ours,” Sangha lamented.
Escondido is known for its big stucco houses and cul-de-sac neighborhoods nestled in rugged terrain. Its common to see kids riding their bikes or jogging. Sangha says families feel a sense of security here.
“A lot of people who live in Escondido and some of these North County cities have never even been to San Diego. So I think there is a feeling of it being different, being more isolated from the big city and therefore somehow safer.”
Source:
Parents Rethink Safety In Their Own Backyard
kpbs.org
