Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
The University of Maine issued a crime alert Monday, concerning the assault of a woman sometime between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday Feb. 25.
According to Officer Deborah Mitchell, the assault is still under investigation.
According to the crime alert, the student attended a party where she “drank some liquid refreshments.” She felt ill a short time later and a male brought her to her a residence hall where she was assaulted.
Mitchell could not say what the beverage was or the type of assault. She could also not say whether there were drugs involved.
The suspect in the assault is described as a white male of college age. He had light colored hair and a rough growth of facial hair. He was last seen in the area of York Hall.
According to Mitchell the incidence of drugs being used to facilitate assaults are on the rise in Maine and throughout the nation.
This crime alert comes days after another assault was reported to Public Safety. This assault took place on or about the evening of Feb. 5.
The women involved was walking near Neville Hall when she was attacked from behind. A male pushed her to the ground, rolled her onto her back and ripped her clothing. She struggled free and the male ran off in the direction of the Memorial Union.
The attacker is described as an African-American male, about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds. He has a medium build and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a “dark `down’ vinyl-y coat.”
Anyone with information dealing with either of these assaults is urged to contact UMaine Public Safety at 581-4040 and leave a message for Officer Deborah Mitchell or Officer Bob Norman.
Public Safety has issued the following precautionary steps to reduce the risk of “involuntarily ingesting harmful substances:
Do not leave beverages unattended.
At a bar, only accept drinks from a bartender .
At a party, do not accept open containers from anyone.
When socializing, go with a friend. Be alert and watch out for each other. If one of your friends is acting differently after consuming small amounts of alcohol, they may be in danger.
Anyone who appears to be out of control or drugged should be brought to a hospital emergency room or an ambulance should be called. Try to keep a sample of the ingested liquid for analysis.
Trust your instincts. If you feel something is wrong, something probably is. Call for help from a friend or call the Dept. of Public Safety as soon as possible. Do not accept `help’ from somebody you just met.”
Bangor Daily News