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Courthouse worker slashed in parking lot

The 43-year-old Dunedin woman was in her SUV to eat lunch when a man attacked.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published September 8, 2005

CLEARWATER - A knife-wielding man punched and slashed a courthouse worker in a Turner Street parking lot shortly after noon Wednesday, police said.

The worker, Catherine Noble, 43, of Dunedin was treated at Morton Plant Hospital for cuts to her arms and later released.

Her attacker, meanwhile, remained on the loose as detectives tried to determine a motive. The man never demanded any money.

"This is inexplicable," said Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor. "We don't know his intentions."

Noble, who works in the civil court records department, went to the parking lot to eat lunch in her sport utility vehicle about 12:35 p.m., said county and police officials. She sat in her Land Rover with the driver's side door open.

The man then approached and "without provocation or reason," punched Noble in the face, Shelor said. She raised her hands in defense and he cut her with a 4-inch-long kitchen knife.

Noble screamed and the man ran away, headed south.

Squad cars and officers on bikes flooded the surrounding blocks while police dogs searched for clues, Shelor said. Investigators were still trying Wednesday evening to develop a detailed description of the suspect.

Noble could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

"We are taking it very seriously," said county spokeswoman Nancy Whitlock. "We are going to secure additional patrols for that parking lot and other lots surrounding that area."

Whitlock said she had not heard of similar incidents, but Pinellas County Administrator Steve Spratt planned to send county employees a letter encouraging them not to eat lunch in the parking lot.

The county will look into hiring security guards for its parking lots, Whitlock said. Also, a sheriff's deputy will give crime prevention tips to workers next week.

[Last modified September 8, 2005, 01:49:23]