BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — UPDATE: Noah Apgar, 20, of Greenwood, who is now charged with five counts of rape, one count of strangulation and one count of confinement, was arrested on a warrant Tuesday, Sept. 17.
Police at Indiana University are investigating the fourth reported sexual assault this month on the Bloomington campus.
The latest alleged attack was at a fraternity house on Friday, Sept. 13.
Police say that sparked another victim to come forward about a separate sexual attack, allegedly by Apgar.
On all college campuses, the risk of sexual assault is highest right now. The "red zone," as it's known, is between the start of the semester and Thanksgiving break.
"This is when we see 50% of sexual violence cases," said Sally Thomas, director of IU's Office for Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy, which handles student education about consent, sexual violence, bystander intervention and advocacy and support for victims in Bloomington.
Students at IU got the latest crime alert about a sexual attack by phone Friday night. It shared information about a reported rape at Sigma Alpha Epsilon early Friday morning.
The suspect, the alert said, is a fraternity member.
"I just thought it was one of the random houses, but then once I found out it was our next-door neighbor, I was a little terrified," said IU junior Lilliana Rondinella, who lives next door to the fraternity house.
It's the fourth sexual assault report this month on the Bloomington campus.
IUPD investigated two assaults in IU dormitories, which included a suspect arrest. Then, there was Friday's alleged attack at the Greek house.
The fraternity denounced Apgar's actions in a statement to 13News:
"The Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity Service Center was made aware of an allegation involving a member of our chapter at Indiana University. Upon learning of the alleged incident, SAE expelled the member and began working with the University administration. We are also fully cooperating with local law enforcement to investigate the incident and have urged all of our local members to do the same.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon denounces all acts of sexual violence. Violence in any form does not represent the Fraternity's values as defined by our creed, The True Gentlemen. We are committed to the well-being of our members, guests, and their respective communities. Our staff will continue to work with our chapters, university officials, and local alumni leaders to reinforce these values."
Investigators say after the crime alert went out about that assault, another victim came forward Sunday about the same suspect. She reported another rape, allegedly by Apgar, on Sept. 6 in a different location.
IU Police say Apgar has now been banned from campus.
IU Bloomington isn't the only university where students experience sexual violence.
"Unfortunately, sexual assaults continue to be a crime trend on college campuses across the country, not just here at IU," said Hannah Skibba, the public information officer for IU Public Safety.
"I definitely think it's happening more than we know," Rondinella said.
Experts say most incidents go unreported, especially during the so-called "red zone."
"I think the national statistic is that 90% of survivors never even go to the police," Thomas said.
"I don't blame some people for being scared to come forward, but I'm glad it's being addressed, and it's being handled now," Rondinella said.
IUPD crime data shows more sexual assaults being reported over the past few years.
Victim advocates say that courage to speak up is actually encouraging.
"It's encouraging when we see some increase in reporting because that's how we hold people accountable. It's how we get people off campus, how we get people off IU, everything is when people come forward and report," Thomas said. "We saw about 7,000 students the first month of school for education. The increase of us being out there, we hope that's why we're seeing increase in reporting."
"We want them to reach out so that we can help them process," Skibba said. "If they come to us, if something like this does happen, we're going to support them, and we're going to take them seriously."
There are many resources for students dealing with sexual assault.
Here's how to get help at IU: