A safety notice was issued by the EMU Police Department at 1:44 p.m. Wednesday informing the Eastern community that a female student was sexually assaulted at 7:40 p.m. Oct. 12 in a vehicle parked in the Student Center parking lot.
EMU’s Interim Police Chief Bob Heighes said the victim was forced into a vehicle that was not her own and subsequently assaulted.
According to the safety notice, the victim was unable to provide information about the vehicle.
Despite it making investigations more difficult, Heighes said nobody faults the victim for waiting to report the assault.
“Everyone responds differently to these types of situations. The university certainly understands that and does everything it can to support victims of sexual assault,” Heighes said.
Heighes did however stress that incidents like this demonstrate the importance of notifying the police as soon as possible of any observed suspicious or explicitly criminal activity.
“If you see something, report it to us. If it turns out to be nothing, that’s OK. That’s what we’re here for,” Heighes said.
“It takes all of us working together to keep everyone safe. We’re one community and safety is of the utmost importance.”
According to the safety notice, the assaulter was “a black male, approximately 6’2” to 6’3” tall, with an athletic build and light to medium complexion. The suspect was described as wearing a black jacket made of cotton material with elastic sleeve cuffs, and a black knit hat with a knit ball on top and material covering the ears, with strings that hang down with tassels on the end.”
Heighes stressed that all students should save the EMU Police Emergency phone number, (734) 487-1222, in their cell phones, explaining that sometimes dialing
911 will contact the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department, who might take longer to respond to campus emergencies than the EMU Police Department.
He also encouraged students to utilize safety resources around campus such as SEEUS and the blue light phone service as needed.
