Waterloo Man Who Terrified Local Trail Runners Sentenced to 14 Years

Nature lovers and outdoor recreationalists will likely take comfort with the sentencing of a man charged with two random knife attacks on women jogging on local trails.

Blake Andrew Houser, 20, of Waterloo, pleaded guilty to the two assaults, which he carried out while riding his bike past the women on recreation trails - one in July 2011 and one this past March, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports.

The sentence will not exceed 14 years in prison, according to court records filed on Monday.

Paige King, 25, of Cedar Falls, was stabbed at George Wyth State Park while out for a run in March. She dialed 911, which eventually led to the capture of Houser. Andrea Slade, 27, of Waterloo, was attacked in 2011 while running along the Sergeant Road bike path near Martin Road.

Houser was charged with three felonies, including two counts of willful injury and count of going armed with intent, two aggravated misdemeanors for assault with a weapon and two aggravated misdemeanors for carrying a weapon.

King said in a letter to the court that "she is still terrified by the attack and is unable to run on the trails," while Slade remains angry at Houser, according to the Courier.

The incidents prompted precautions from local runners, joggers, cyclists and others that take to the trails.

"What we encourage is pepper spray or a pocketknife or both, honestly, especially if it's a female," Scott Gall, who co-owns Runner's Flat in Cedar Falls, told KWWL in March.