Campus Sexual Assault Reported

A female UMW student reported that she was sexually assaulted on campus over the weekend, according to Sgt. F. L. Tyler, a state police spokesman.

The student reported to UMW police that the incident occurred at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, Tyler said. A suspect has been identified.

According to Tyler, state police are involved at the request of UMW police.

“We have jurisdiction and they asked us to help with it,” he said.
State police have jurisdiction because the incident happened on state property, according to Tyler. The Fredericksburg Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office is also involved in the case.

He also said there is no danger to the community.

“The student knew the assailant, so this is an isolated incident,” Tyler said.

The investigation is currently ongoing. Tyler would not say where on campus the assault occurred, and would not say whether anyone has been arrested or charged at this time. He also would not release any other information about the student or her assailant.

Tyler also would not say how long it would be before more developments would happen.

“We can’t put a time frame on it,” he said.

At yesterday’s UMW Student Senate meeting, Chief of Police Eddie Perry and Susan Knick, assistant vice president for public safety and community service, responded to student questions after a brief presentation on campus security.

When one student asked why there was no alert sent to the campus community, Perry responded by saying that the assailant did not pose a threat to the community.

Perry also said UMW police asked state police to get involved so that additional resources could be brought in. He said they needed the resources to bring closure to the case as quickly as possible.

As the chief of police, Perry said he is able to request help from the state police in a time of need. When he arrived in the office after the incident was reported, he deemed it necessary, since the state police have more resources at their disposal than the UMW police do.

“Saturday was a time of need,” he said.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that no arrests have been made in this case and no charges have been filed.

Photo by Jessica Masulli/Bullet