Students On Edge After Attack On Sleeping Woman
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Back-to-back sexual crimes on and around the University of Colorado-Boulder campus have put students on alert.
The first attack happened at approximately 4 a.m. Saturday just off campus near 26th Street and Colorado Avenue, where a woman was asleep on a couch in her home.
The incident left students who live in the area feeling on edge.
"When it's right next to your house, it's really terrifying, because it gets a lot, literally, closer to home," said Monica Patton, a CU senior.
She learned that a man had broken into a home in her normally quiet cul-de-sac and attempted to sexually assault a woman inside.
"For the people who live here, it feels really safe, and now, not so much. And it's definitely causing a little bit of anxiety for us," Patton said.
According to a spokesperson with the Boulder Police Department, the female victim was sleeping on her couch and awoke to the suspect trying to have sex with her.
Police released sketches of the suspect, who is described as a black man between 25 and 30 years old, 5'8" to 5'10", with a stocky build.
He may have been wearing glasses, khaki colored shorts, and a polo style shirt with horizontal stripes.
Authorities said that he also might have driven off in a gold or silver SUV.
One day later, another sexually invasive act occurred on campus just before 8 a.m.
A student reports that she was walking through the pedestrian underpass at Broadway and College Avenue when a man grabbed her in the buttock and thigh.
"It's horrifying," commented a student who lives on campus. "It makes me really glad I'm on a bike, so I just shoot through (the underpass.)"
The victim was able to fight off her attacker, who then ran off.
That second suspect is described as a 30-year-old to 40-year-old heavier set man who is 5-foot-10 with medium-length dark curly hair and a very tan complexion.
Since the attacks, Boulder police had increased area patrols.
Authorities said that keeping doors locked at all times is a huge deterrent for would-be intruders.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.