| Show Woman tells story at South City to help others 1 Jennifer Morgan Contributing Writer Sarah is a self-proclaimed self author She's also a survivor of domestic domes c abuse was the keynote speaker at a press conference at Salt Lake Community College last week prior to a performance of Shear Luck atthe at atthe atthe the Grand Theatre went away to school at 19 and met meta a man at BYU that she liked her sophomore year They dated on again off again for two months before he persuaded her to get married We were married in a cheesy chapel across from Circus Circus in Las Vegas by a French- French speaking pastor surrounded by plastic flowers said Sutherland Within the first week of marriage her husband slapped her It quickly escalated until she was was being beaten with baseball bats and golf clubs tried to hide the bruises and made up excuses left several times but always came back One time she left without shoes Once she wandered the streets and another time she hid bid behind hind a w washer and dryer w fu ironic is IS that the women s shelter was just around the corner comer but I didn't know It was there she said credits several people for helping save her life a neighbor that called the police when they witnessed abuse a worker co-worker who told her it wasn't her fault and the stranger who smuggled smuggled smuggled smug smug- her out of the apartment complex and took her to a gas station where she met her parents was involved in an abusive marriage marriage marriage mar mar- for four months before she got out She pressed charges against her former husband and Abuse Survivor Cont on Page 8 4 C Abuse Survivor f Cant Conf from front he was sentenced to jail for 21 days and three years probation Speaking of jail spoke at atthe atthe atthe the State Prison last week to a room full of convicted felons including sex offenders I try to incorporate humor in my pre pre- I get a better response that way said Sutherland It has been 10 years since she escaped that awful hell has since remarried and has a daughter She plans to togo togo togo go back to the University of Utah this falland fall falland falland and has a book con coming out in June titled Not Another Sarah which is also the name of her The book has two parts First it chronicles Sarah's experience experience ence in a dramatic fashion Second she gives practical advice on everything from how to recognize warning signs to getting help Basically its it's the book I I wish I had said is also starting a nonprofit prof non it organization shortly to help domestic abuse victims The more you know about abuse the themore themore themore more you can help said |
