Sexual assault reported in Coffrin Hall

Author: Lisie Mehlman

According to an April 12 Crime Alert that the College's Department of Public Safety released to the student body via e-mail, "On Saturday, April 7, 2007, at approximately 4:30 a.m., an intruder entered the room of a male student in Coffrin Hall. The resident was asleep when he woke to realize that a person was standing over him. The unknown female climbed on top of him and kissed and touched him. He was able to jump out of bed and move away from the female. He yelled at her, and she left the room."

The Crime Alert included a description of the alleged intruder - a white, college-aged female of a muscular build, with shoulder length hair. The e-mail indicated that "she was wearing a white ribbon in her hair with a bow at the top of her head" and that she was wearing "a blue and white striped rugby-type polo shirt."

So as to prevent future incidents, the Department of Public Safety urged students to "remember to lock your door and check to see that the door is shut properly when you are in your room, especially at night." As a result of this incident, Public Safety officers will now "conduct more frequent patrols" in dormitories during night hours, the e-mail explained.

Reports of the assault - which are legally required to be made public by the "Timely Notice" clause of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998 - come on the wake of a similarly released Department of Public Safety Crime Alert from Feb. 19, in which Public Safety disclosed information about the alleged sexual assault of a female student on Feb. 16 after a party at Tavern's Brackett house.

Both of these incidents follow the Addison County State's Attorney's Jan. 29 charging of a former Middlebury student with one count of felony sexual assault for allegedly assaulting one female student at a Delta House party last April, and attempting to assault another.

It remains unclear whether or not the victim of Saturday's incident has successfully identified the intruder since the time of the alleged assault, and whether or not he intends to press charges against the perpetrator, as Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah is out of town and was unreachable for comment and both Assistant Director of Public Safety Larry Rooney and Dean of Atwater Commons Scott Barnicle were unavailable to respond to inquiries regarding the matter.