Three Students Assaulted; Perpetrator Still At-Large
An unknown man assaulted three Dickinson students on or near campus over the weekend of January 28 and early this week. The first two incidents occurred outside of the Holland Union Building near the heart of campus and on South West Street in Carlisle respectively, both early Saturday morning.
The same individual is responsible for a similar assault outside of Adams Hall, a first-year dormitory, on Tuesday morning, according to Public Safety Chief Dee Danser. After assaulting the third student on Tuesday at around 10:45 a.m., the suspect was spotted near the Bosler Memorial Library in Carlisle and pursued by police.
Most students and employees found out about the incident on Saturday, when DPS distributed an email describing the Saturday morning incidents. The email said that students “reported being approached from behind by the suspect while walking and then being grabbed on the buttocks.”
When asked about the college’s response to the assaults, President John E. Jones III said, “The safety of our community is always top of mind. These incidents are greatly concerning. As a result, DPS (Department of Public Safety) has instituted additional patrols and will continue them for the foreseeable future.”
Danser said, “At this point the suspect remains at large.” She confirmed that the same man was involved in all three assaults, and that there is no evidence that he has entered a campus building at any point. Danser said, “If someone sees the suspect, we ask that they contact DPS by phone immediately at 717-245-1349.”
DPS has been working with the Carlisle Police Department on this case, sharing photos and information with them.
They also offered a description of the suspect, who they say is about 5 feet 9 inches or 5 feet 10 inches tall and was wearing “all-Black clothing with a hooded top” when he committed the earlier assaults. In a follow-up communication after the incident on Tuesday, Danser relayed that the suspect was wearing a black face mask, a dark coat and black-and-white athletic shoes, attaching a photo captured of the man in an email to the student body.
In response to these episodes, Danser said, “I would like to remind students of a number of safety related services available on campus. These include the Safety Shuttle, the Safety Walk escort service, and the LiveSafe app.” DPS shared additional information about those services via email on Wednesday.
