“Why, I will fight with him upon this theme. Until my eyelids will no longer wag.”-William Shakespeare
Acts of criminal
violence have been with us since before mankind achieved consciousness. Yet, the
actions of some of us still break our hearts and assault our senses. Distraught mothers drowning their children, disgruntled employees murdering their co-workers, and disturbed students going on maniacal shooting sprees on school campuses. These monstrous acts, devoid of any possible relation to moral decency, strike us as completely inexplicable.
Saturday, December 10, 2005 was just another day when then 33 year old Rebecca Oakes, a night auditor for the Music Road Hotel in Pigeon Forge clocked in for her shift at 11pm. Seemingly far removed from the violence of the world, Oakes said goodnight to her co-workers around midnight, leaving the working mother of two boys to her usually peaceful routine of closing the book on the day’s activities while supervising the 163 room upscale property alone.
Born Rebecca Ann Smith on March 13, 1972 in Somerset , KY , the auditor had moved to East Tennessee during the summer of 2004. Having worked in hotels in her lifelong Kentucky home, she began her employment at the Music Road almost upon arrival.
It was a busy night, but nothing out of the ordinary for the popular place to stay. Buried in her work, at about 4:30am Rebecca greeted a young man at the desk she assumed to be a guest. Tall and slender, dressed in a gray sweat shirt he began to strike up idle conversation with her. For more than 30 minutes, he alternated several times between talking to Oakes for awhile and sitting before the majestic lobby fireplace the hotel is known for. Rebecca figured he just had insomnia and was simply wandering the property before again attempting to sleep. Nevertheless, he was becoming a distraction and she was beginning to get behind with her work. But, recommending the indoor swimming pool or the fitness center at the Inn across the street were all rebuffed with “That’s not my cup of tea.”
Then, without warning the man pulled a tire iron from his pants while Oakes was not looking and slammed it across the top of her head. Dazed, Rebecca stepped back to notice blood flowing down her face. At that moment, her crazed
attacker jumped over the desk and struck her head again. Fighting to remain conscious, Oakes grabbed the weapon with her right hand to prevent him from using it another time. As the two fell to the floor, he began punching his female victim in the face to inspire her to release the object. But Rebecca refused to let go, resolving not to give in without a fight. As soon as he realized she would be no easy prey, her two minutes in hell ended as suddenly as it began when the man jumped back over the desk and fled the hotel.
In complete control of her emotions and with the blue tire iron still in her hand, Rebecca was covered in her own blood when the police arrived. Beaten, but not defeated, Oakes was taken to Fort Sanders Medical Center where 23 staples were required to repair her head injuries. One cheek was broken and the other bore the impression of her attacker’s weapon. Amazingly, she was treated and released 4 hours later. More remarkable, Rebecca was back at work within 2 weeks, claiming that she “did not want the evil actions of another person to define my life.”
After seeing the video of his reprehensible behavior on the evening news, Oake’s attacker turned himself in to authorities, claiming he had no memory of his actions. He was subsequently convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to 10 years. He will be eligible for parole in approximately 18 months. Seems hardly an appropriate punishment for the attempted murder of another human being.
Henry Piarrot is a hotel manager in Sevier County,TN. Please send all story recommendations to hpiarrot@yahoo.com