A female University of Michigan student reported a third-degree sexual assault Wednesday to the Division of Public Safety and Security. The student told police she was grabbed by an unknown male and sexually assaulted on March 27, according to a crime alert sent out to students Friday afternoon.
The suspect is described as a 19 to 20-year-old white male, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 120 to 125 pounds with a thin build and short, dark hair. He pulled the female into a custodial closet in South Quad Residence Hall at approximately 10:30 p.m. and sexually assaulted her.
According to the report, he was wearing a loose fitting shirt and pajamas pants or sweatpants when he carried out the attack.
According to the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, third-degree sexual assault constitutes penetration and can include force or coercion and victim incapacity.
Melissa Overton, University deputy chief of police, said the alert was sent out once the survivor filed a report, and DPSS subsequently assessed the threat level to students.
“Different people react differently to trauma and so once she did bring it forward, we had to do a little bit of further investigation before we determined that there was a possible public safety threat and so that’s when we determined to issue the crime alert,” Overton said.
Overton also said DPSS is still investigating, and will be working closely with SAPAC to connect the survivor with resources she might need.
This is a developing story. Check back at michigandaily.com for more details.