INFOGRAPHIC: Memphis Crime Rate (Slightly) Down
Tag: rape
A former Memphis police officer has been sentenced to 11 years in prison without parole for raping a Rhodes College student.
In January 2013, Aaron Reinsberg, 32, reportedly met the 21-year-old woman at a Beale Street nightspot, which she worked for part-time. The entertainment district in downtown Memphis was Reinsberg’s patrolling beat at the time.
The two exchanged phone numbers, and the victim went home. Reinsberg subsequently used his personal cellphone to access county law enforcement databases to find her home address, according to the Shelby County District Attorney General’s office.
The same night, Reinsberg traveled to the victim’s home and was allowed inside by her roommate. He was left alone with the woman in her bedroom.
The woman, who was inebriated, fell asleep while Reinsberg was in her room, according to reports. When she woke up, she was undressed and he was on top of her, raping her. Due to her intoxication, she was unable to resist Reinsberg during the incident.
Reinsberg, who joined the Memphis Police Department in 2011, has been convicted of raping the woman. This week, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison with no parole. The former officer was also sentenced to one year for official misconduct. The sentences will be served concurrently.
Last May, a highly publicized rape occurred on Goodwyn Street in Chickasaw Gardens. Since then, area residents have been pushing for more crime control, including closing the entrance of Goodwyn at Southern Avenue.
However, others who live in areas adjacent to Chickasaw Gardens are fighting the street closing. Gwen Lausterer, who lives in condos at Southern and Goodwyn, questions how the proposal will affect traffic on Haynes, Greer, and other side streets that run between Central and Southern, especially those that don’t have a traffic light (as Goodwyn does) to control traffic. The intersection is near the entrance to Memphis Country Club.
Activists are urging residents to attend a hearing about the street closing. It’s currently set for November 8th at 10 a.m. Says Lausterer: “I do firmly believe that if we start blocking streets we are not helping the situation on crime. Getting out and meeting our neighbors can help more than blocking ourselves off. Community spirit and knowledge is what will bind us together as a city.”
She doubts claims by Goodwyn residents that drivers speed up to 75 mph on their street. “I drive Goodwyn [several] times a day and have never seen that,” she says. “We have suggested they use speed bumps like most streets in this area.”
For more information about the street closing and the hearing, contact Lausterer at lausterer3@comcast.net or the city planner, Carlos McCloud, at 576-6619 or carlos.mccloud@memphistn.gov.
–Marilyn Sadler