WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WTHR) - A rash of sexual assaults in West Lafayette has some students watching out for themselves and others more carefully.
"West Lafayette police investigate a sexual assault report." said Sophie Riegner, reading the campus-wide alert she received last week.
It was one of four such complaints in just 12 hours. And there was a fifth report early Sunday morning.
"I'm more careful about bringing my pepper spray this morning when I went running," said student Mary Strong. "I usually don't bring it with me running because it's so big. But after hearing those reports I started to."
All of the assaults reportedly happened off-campus. One of them just off campus - on Northwestern Ave. - sparked the early-morning campus-wide alert.
A woman reported being sexually assaulted about 2:30 Friday morning in West Lafayette's Tapawingo Park. And several blocks away, the most recent report came in the 200 block of South Street around 7 a.m. Sunday.
West Lafayette police told Eyewitness News that, even though the cases occurred close together, they were not related. They do, however, have some things in common.
Some involve Purdue students, said police. In some cases, alcohol played a role.
Investigators said some people present at at least one of the assaults knew the possible suspects and the victims.
"We definitely want our students to take care in each other's presence," said Beth McCuskey, vice provost of student life at Purdue. "And if things do look a little squirrely, intervene and say let's go home, and really take care of each other."
Purdue's student life office just launched the CARE program, guiding students through prevention, reporting, coping, getting help and counseling... even new housing, if needed, after an assault.
The emphasis is on getting students to report and support them through the process.
"The big deal for students is to watch what they're doing in terms of alcohol consumption," said McCuskey. "Trying to stay safe that way and be in groups where they can kind of take care of each other and get each other home."
"One incident was right down the street from us, said one Purdue undergrad. "So you never know."
Student Kaley Mrozinski says it's about "Making sure that you are walking back with someone, that someone is always with you."
"If we do leave, we make sure we keep an eye," Michelle Pietruszka said. "That the person is getting to the right place and we all message each other. "
"Twice I helped walk a couple people home," student Colin Ashburn said. "Once someone was making advances on them."
Student Molly Weber told us she's the motherly one in her group of friends, big on making sure everyone gets home safe.
"I'm super paranoid about that, so I do that, yeah. Just make sure my friends were all okay. I didn't like the thought of them left by themselves," said Weber.
Police say they've interviewed the possible suspects. One of the cases was sent to the prosecutor for possible charges.
Tuesday, two of the victims of the reported assaults asked police to stop looking into the allegations and the cases were closed.
