Police have suspect in alleged assault

Factoid:Anyone with information regarding the alleged sexual assault should contact the SIUC Police Department at 453-2381.

An 18-year-old female SIUC student reported Tuesday to campus police she was sexually assaulted in the early morning hours last Friday in her Mae Smith Hall dorm room.

SIUC Police Capt. Todd Sigler said police have identified a suspect but have not been able to locate him.

Sigler said the victim apparently knew the suspect as he did not gain access to the room by forcible entry when the incident allegedly occurred between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Oct. 17. The victim did not report any injuries.

The victim described the suspect as a 19-year-old white male who is approximately 5-foot-9 and weighs close to 170 pounds. Sigler declined to comment on whether the suspect is a student at the University.

Details from the alleged sexual assault are still too sketchy to determine whether the suspect would be arrested.

“I’m not sure at this point which direction the case is going to take with respect to the suspect,” Sigler said. “It’s still too early to know for sure.”

The department intends to refer the case to Jackson County State’s Attorney Michael Wepsiec in order to determine if an arrest warrant is needed.

Sigler said he does not believe this was the first report of sexual assault on campus this year. There were eight sexual assault cases reported on campus in 2002 and one incident reported in 2001.

The University’s police captain said there is no reason for anyone in Mae Smith Hall or other on-campus residences to be concerned about the possibility of recurring sexual assaults because of the apparent prior relationship between the victim and her assailant.

“I don’t think there’s any cause for alarm on the part of anybody else,” Sigler said. “I think this is a known relationship between the two people involved.”

The suspect has not been linked to any other sexual assault cases in the area.