Victim of a savage sexual assault speaks of survival and forgiveness

You might remember crime victim Penny Stuckey. She was raped by three men; two of them were arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to 32,000 years in prison. <br><br>News on Six crime reporter Lori

Thursday, April 25th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

You might remember crime victim Penny Stuckey. She was raped by three men; two of them were arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to 32,000 years in prison.

News on Six crime reporter Lori Fullbright talked to Penny Thursday, about how she's doing, nine years later.

To see Penny Stuckey in her kitchen, making lunch for her two young sons, you'd never know the horrible ordeal she's been through or what amazing courage she possesses. "I have a family to raise and be happy. I'm alive and that is more meaningful and I've learned a lot." But, it's been a long, painful journey.

Three men ran the Sand Springs woman off the road in 1993 and repeatedly raped her for six hours. She was a newlywed raising two stepsons at the time. After the trial, they moved to Indiana, and moved back to Sand Springs last year. "Of course, I have my days, when I drive by the house or something. I have bad moments, but I get over it.â€ Despite the terrifying ordeal when she believed she was going to be killed,

Stuckey feels no hatred toward her attackers. "One wrote to me three years ago from prison and asked me to forgive him. I have no bitterness, I pray for them. I want them to know the Lord and I forgave them and life goes on." In fact, Stuckey says going through her ordeal with lots of prayer, counseling and the support of her family and friends has made her stronger person who now wants to help others. "Once you're strong and you realize what you've learned, why keep it in? Why not encourage others and help others."

Stuckey says her message to other sexual assault victims is you will survive, you may have days where you think it's not possible, but it is, one day at a time.

Since the third suspect in Stuckey's attack nine years ago, was never caught, she's now working to change the law that says there's a seven-year statute of limitations for rape in Oklahoma.