There were red flags

Oregon -- On May 24, 2004, just before allegedly kidnapping, raping and killing a 19-year-old college student, the 40-year-old suspected killer stalked and then approached two other women near Oregon State University. He then tried to lure them into his van, prosecutors say. He intended to rape and kill them, too, a Benton County District Attorney said.

The man tried to coax the women, both OSU students at the time, close to the van. But the women, who were alone, sensed trouble.

"There were red flags," the District Attorney said. "He tried to engage them with conversation and conduct that clearly establishes that he is trying to lure them into the van, but he just can't get within striking distance."

The victim was last seen about 10 a.m. May 24, 2004, cleaning lampposts in the parking lot of apartments managed by her brother-in-law near the Corvallis campus. Police and thousands of friends and strangers searched unsuccessfully for her for two weeks. Her body has not been found.

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Fighting dirty

A University of Florida graduate assistant who was walking toward campus Thursday morning fought off a man who knocked her to the ground and attacked her.

"I chose not to be a victim," said the 23-year-old woman. "I thought to myself, 'I'm not going to let this happen.'"

The woman struggled with the man, who had first asked her for money as she was walking at about 11 a.m., Gainesville Police said. The woman told the man she was sorry, she didn't have anything she could give him, and kept walking.

"He just sort of came up behind me and pushed me to the ground," she said. "I just kept kicking him. My hands were already in the dirt. I grabbed dirt and started throwing the dirt."

When the woman fought back, her attacker let her go and fled.

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All-male education

While teaching women how to prevent and fight back against sexual violence is positive and necessary, it is also great to see the root of the problem being addressed!

Story:
Oklahoma City -- A state Health Department official says an all-male education program is helping change the attitudes of men about sexual assault on college campuses in Oklahoma.

Steve Nedbalek told a legislative task force today he's optimistic the agency's "Man to Man" education program is attacking the problem of sexual assaults on women on campuses.

The program started in 2004 with the goal of changing attitudes toward rape and helping men understand what constitutes sexual coercion.

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Increase in reports

East Tennessee State University -- There were three reported cases of sexual assault on campus in 2006, up from one in 2005, according to a public safety officer.

"I'm not alarmed by the increase," said the coordinator of outreach programs at the counseling center. "I'm more concerned about people who aren't getting help that need help."

The coordinator said the increase in reported sexual assaults does not suggests that more rapes are occurring. She attributes the increase to this year's higher student enrollment and a raised awareness of knowing how and whom to report the crimes. She also said she believes that sexual assault is "grossly underreported on campus."

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Fake handshake

It's a quite common trap - extending the arm as to give you a handshake. Then the perpetrator may grab your hand and attack you.

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A white male suspect in his mid-50s tried to pull a victim into his car around noon on Oct. 17, UCSF police report.

The UCSF employee, was walking on Judah Street when he heard a man in a passing vehicle honking his horn. The car stopped and the driver asked, “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” while extending his hand as if to greet the victim with a handshake.

The victim then extended his hand to shake hands, at which time the suspect attempted to pull him into his vehicle. The victim was able to strike the suspect with his free hand and pull away from the suspect.

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A scuffle

Pennsylvania -- Tuesday, two male York College students - who also happened to be on the wrestling team - got into a scuffle with three teenage boys. The two students were walking back to campus from the Tom's Exxon about 10:45 p.m. when the teens tried to rob them, Lehman said.

"In this case, they jumped the wrong two kids," he said. "They (the students) got some bumps and bruises, but they defended themselves pretty well," to the point that the three teens ran away.

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GHB

Alaska -- A female student was slipped a predatory drug at the UAF Pub and then sexually assaulted last month.

The student reported the incident on September 14 to the university police, who believe that the drug was administered while the victim was at the campus bar.

A sexual assault kit and a blood test for drugs in her system found evidence of GHB and rape, police said.

GHB, according to the RAINN Web site, is most commonly found in the form of a clear, odorless liquid. It can also be white powder.

In 2000, the DEA, along with state and local law enforcement agencies, seized 17 GHB laboratories in the United States, 10 of which were located in California, according to the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau (DTCVB) Web site.

Also according to the DTCVB, in 1999, drug facilitated sexual assault cases increased to nearly 23 percent of all sexual assault cases. Females made up 97 percent of the victims, the bureau says.

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A real mystery

It's this sentence that gets me kind of curious: "Police are trying to figure out what prompted a man to attack a young woman early this morning (...)".
Does that mean they are contemplating if the guy was just trying to be friendly or something? Maybe they still haven't thought about sexual assault? Apart from robbery, what other options are there?

Story:
Police are trying to figure out what prompted a man to attack a young woman early this morning at her campus area apartment building.

The 20-year-old woman didn't see the man and safely entered her apartment building but, as she went up the stairs to her apartment, the man ran up behind her and punched her in the face several times.

The woman fought off her attacker, tearing his shirt, and he fled empty-handed.

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A campus incident

Some things are painfully clear:
- People tend to think "it don't happen here".
- A campus can be a dangerous place.
- Simple self-defense "tricks" may get you out of a bad spot.
- A push-in is a common way to gain access.

Also it is quite clear that the woman either panicked or was unaware she was being followed - all the time she opened the door to her room.

Story:
A man had followed a young woman onto the elevator and up to her floor and tried to push his way into her room after she unlocked the door.

The woman fought him off with a fist spiked with keys and he fled, but the incident was enough to worry many young women who never thought something like that could happen in their dorm.

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