On Wednesday evening, the Athens Police Department received a call from a mandatory reporter who said a sexual assault had occurred.
On August 25, a suspect known to the victim sexually assaulted them in a residence on the east side of Athens, according to an APD police report. The victim's gender is unknown. The investigation is ongoing, and the incident does not appear to be related to any previous incident, according to that report.
This is the fifth reported sexual assault in Athens since the beginning of Ohio University’s Fall Semester. At least three of the four previous reports occurred near Mill Street, which has prompted APD and the Ohio University Police Department to partner in investigations.
In the first reported case, an unknown man pulled a woman into an unknown OU residence hall either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning and raped her, according to an OUPD report.
In the second reported case, a woman was forced into a vehicle at about 10:30 Saturday night, driven to Wray House and raped, according to that incident’s OUPD report.
In the third reported case, a man sexually assaulted a woman off-campus Sunday, according to an Athens Police Department report.
In the fourth reported case, a woman said a man she knew sexually touched her without her consent and used force after she told him to stop, according to that report.
University and law enforcement officials encourage students to utilize late-night services like the CATS shuttle service, which is available by calling or texting 740-593-4040.
