Students At West Chester University On Alert After Hearing Of Several Sexual Assaults On Campus
By Syma Chowdhry
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (CBS) -- Three sexual assaults reported in the past three weeks have West Chester University students on high alert.
Police say the incidents are not related and are considered isolated attacks, but that doesn't ease concerns for some students.
All three assaults happened on campus and the three victims are female students.
The latest attack took place early Saturday morning at a student residence.
Officials say the string of attacks are not related.
In the first two reported incidents, both victims knew their attackers and do not plan to pursue criminal charges.
Pam Sheridan, West Chester University Spokesperson says, "If it's a known person and it's a student for instance, or has been identified as a student, at least we know it's not somebody, a total stranger."
But the latest sexual assault victim did not know the assailant, which prompted officials to step up patrols.
Sheridan says,"There are officers who are patrolling from 8 at night to 4 in the morning. They are patrolling where the students are living, in some cases right inside the building."
In all three cases, text and email alerts went out to students.
Sarah McCafferty, a freshman, says, "Now I'm getting more nervous being by myself and now I know to be with a friend all the time."
These freshman students say school officials need to be more specific with details to ensure their safety.
Shannon Burke says, "I don't think we get enough information about it because we don't know where it happened. We just get an overview about it but we don't really know the specifics, so it's kind of scary."
The suspect in the latest case is described as a white male, 5'4" with a small thin build and was seen wearing a black hoodie.
Authorities stress that all cases are not related.
