It was only a couple of blocks and a couple of hours that separated the sexual assaults of two young women on the night of Nov. 9, which police are currently investigating. They have determined that both appear to be attacks by the same suspect.
The first assault took place on Albert Drive at about 10:15 p.m. Authorities said the suspect attacked the victim from behind and put her into a headlock, at which point she screamed and managed to fight him until he ran away.
At about 12:05 a.m., the second assault occurred on Grove Street where the victim was attacked while she was walking her dog, police said. The attacker attempted to sexually assault the victim who, like the first, screamed and managed to fight him off.
No one heard or responded to the screams, Lt. Chris Staley of the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) said.
“The person got spooked before anyone came out,” he said.
Journalism senior Ashleigh Albrecht said her roommate was the first victim and the second was a friend of a friend. She said her roommate was simply walking to a house across the street when the attacker jumped out of the bushes.
“They tried to stick their fingers down her throat to keep her from screaming,” she said, adding that he cut her lip. “We’ve all been kind of freaked out.”
It was determined that it was the same suspect based on the similarities of how the women were attacked and the descriptions they gave. A SLOPD press release described him as a white male between the ages of 20 and 25, approximately 5-foot-8-inches tall with brown eyes, brown hair and “a thin build.” The press release said he was last seen wearing a beige baseball hat, blue jeans and a medium-colored zip-up sweatshirt with lighter colored sleeves.
Lt. Steve Tolley of the SLOPD said investigators had checked the registered sex offenders on file, but none matched the description.
When the University Police Department received word of what had happened, they immediately decided to take action on campus since the assaults occurred only a couple of blocks away from Cal Poly.
In addition to increased police patrolling on and surrounding campus, the Escort Van Service will be extended from midnight to 2 a.m., and in some cases even later.
“After 2 a.m., if they are still here, we will given them a ride,” police chief Bill Watton said, since “some of the engineer and architecture students are working in the labs until 3 a.m.”
Not only will the service run later, it will also travel farther. Perhaps not to Avila Beach or Pismo Beach, Watton said, but it will extend farther than the half-mile limits to which it is currently restricted. To contact the service, call (805) 756-2281.
Stephanie Liu, a business administration sophomore and an Albert Drive resident, had not heard about the assault, but said she had never felt unsafe on her street. She still took advantage of the Escort Van Service in getting home.
“My house is probably one of the only houses to put the front porch light on,” she said. “My street is mostly just old people and families – not many students.”
Albrecht said she made changes to how she travels as well.
“I walked home on Thursday nights – now I call my roommates to come pick me up,” she said. “Now we always walk in pairs.”
While sexual assault is neither common or rare in San Luis Obispo, this type of assault by a stranger is quite rare.
“We typically have one or two, sometimes five a year that are reported,” Watton said. “In the five years I’ve been here, they’ve all involved alcohol and they’ve been acquainted.”
David Kirk, social sciences senior and program coordinator for SAFER Men, said 80 percent of sexual assault is acquaintance assault and though sexual assaults are generally underreported, it is more likely with this type.
“The survivors are more likely to come forward,” Kirk said. “There’s less of a social stigma, less social repercussions.”
And that doesn’t exclude men.
“Generally speaking, 1 to 10 percent of men are victims of sexual assault, and that’s generally by other men,” Kirk added.
Tolley agreed that men are “absolutely” at risk.
“There have been men who weren’t sexually assaulted, but have been beat up,” he said.
All three police officers agreed that the way in which the victims reacted is how anybody should react in that situation.
“Try to be loud, try to be visible,” Staley said.
“I recommend that students don’t go out alone,” Watton advised. “You’re better off if you can go out in a group. There are still a lot of young ladies walking by themselves.”