Longwood’s third alleged sexual assault of the semester occurred on Friday, Oct. 14 in an off-campus residence and is currently under investigation by the Longwood Police Department, according to the Jeane Clery Act-mandated timely warning released at on Sunday, Oct. 16 afternoon.
The second occurred on Saturday, Oct. 8 in a main campus residence hall, according to the Jeane Clery Act-mandated timely warning released at 5:58 a.m. that day.
The first allegedly occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 13, originally labeled sexual assault for timely purposes, then elevated to rape as more information was available, according to Longwood Director of Media Relations Matt McWilliams.
McWilliams said the first two reports were also investigated by Longwood Police, and the investigations have concluded without any criminal charges filed.
“That’s not to say criminal charges can’t be filed in the future,” said McWilliams.
When reports of sexual misconduct arise, victims can take both criminal and university action – both require separate procedures with different thresholds of guilt, said McWiliams.
University action can be pursued through Title IX cases and may be continued without pressing criminal charges, said McWilliams.
It isn't known whether either report is continuing on the university-level. The information is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, prohibiting an educational institution from releasing information from a student’s education record.
This year, Longwood Police have investigated 12 reports of sexual misconduct, including sexual battery, sexual assault and rape. One resulted in an arrest, two were referred to outside agencies and eight declined to prosecute and were referred to the Title IX office.
The Oct. 14 investigation is the only one ongoing.
Longwood Police Department’s 2016 daily crime log, available on their website, hasn’t been updated to reflect the changes in status for the investigations of the September and October reports.
The Rotunda reached out to Longwood Police directly for comment and was referred to McWilliams.
This semester, Longwood Police have received three sexual assault reports, the first on Sept. 13, second on Oct. 8 and third on Oct. 14. In 2016, the department has received a total of 12 reports.
