Courtesy of Tucson Police Depatment
Tucson police released this composite sketch of the man suspected in the April 25 sexual assault of a UA student in the Park Avenue Garage.
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By Arek Sarkissian II
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday May 8, 2002
Two suspects are still at large in a string of sex crimes that occurred over the course of a week late last month.
The rash of six crimes took place mainly in residence halls but spread to the Park Avenue Garage when a student was raped just before noon April 25 as she was getting out of her car.
University of Arizona Police Department Sgt. Mike Smith said it was the most serious group of sex crimes he had seen in the 10 years he has been with UAPD.
Police recently released a composite sketch of the suspect involved in the April 25 incident.
The string of sex crimes began when Tucsonan Esteban Rodriguez, 24, allegedly watched three students as they showered in Arizona-Sonora Residence Hall and attempted to sexually assault one of them.
On April 20, Rodriguez attempted to sexually assault a Manzanita-Mohave resident as she showered. He was later arrested after being chased west of campus.
Only three days after Rodriguezâs arrest, a masked attacker entered La Paz Residence Hall and tried to sexually assault a resident as she showered.
The spree prompted Residence Life officials to implement a 24-hour lockdown on all residence halls, and also strongly encouraged residents to be vigilant on suspicious people that might be wandering the dorms.
After the La Paz incident, Residence Life Director JimVan Arsdel said Residence Life officials met with the universityâs more than 200 resident assistants and asked them to stay aware, especially during the hours when fewer residents are around the dorms.
ãHopefully, in this context, all of the RAs will step up,ä he said.
UAPD Cmdr. Brian Seastone reminded students that the residence halls are their home.
ãYou donât let people you donât know into your home,ä Seastone said.
La Paz Residence Hall Director Juliette Duke agreed with Seastone and admitted to seeing several residents in her hall allow people in without knowing who they were.
Stephen Borota, an electrical engineering freshman, said although questioning suspicious guests may be key, it is difficult to actually get residents to do it.
ãMost people donât even want to ask,ä Borota said.
Borota said most students feel uncomfortable asking a guest whether they should be there.
Students said, though, that UAPD should be the primary guardians of safety and not put the responsibility on the students.
ãUAPD needs to get off their asses and start doing something. Station one (officer) in each dorm and garage,ä said Kevin Zingale, a mechanical engineering sophomore. ãThey donât do much driving down Speedway (Boulevard).ä
Ashley Ho, an undecided freshman, said the attempt to get students involved has been successful.
She said male residents even offered to keep watch for intruders outside the showers.
Ho was ultimately satisfied with the security precautions taken.
Seastone reminded students that keeping the campus safe involves a partnership between his department and the campus community. Assaults plagued the university last semester as well when four students were sexually assaulted on and around campus.
On Oct. 3, a student was sexually assaulted in her home north of campus, and on Oct. 19, two students were attacked while walking on campus.
Tucson police recently connected those assaults to one that occurred at North First Avenue and East Roger Road in January, and to a series of sexual assaults that occurred last year in San Diego.
The string of assaults near campus continued on Nov. 26 when a student was assaulted as she biked home north of campus.
Police are still searching for suspects involved in two of the four sex crimes that occurred on campus within a one-month period. On Thursday, UAPD released a composite sketch of the suspect in the April 25 incident.