The investigation of a reported rape at a fraternity house last April is still open and no charges have been pressed. According to officials, information has been turned over to the Pima County Attorney's office for review.
A University of Arizona student contacted police in the early morning of April 13 and said a man had sexually assaulted her at the Sigma Pi fraternity house, 1525 E. Drachman St.
Sergeant Eugene Mejia, UA Police Department spokesman, said the case is going to be reviewed by the County Attorney's office and said they will decide whether to prosecute or not.
"Right now the case is open. We're ready to present information," he said. "If they find we're lacking in information or evidence, we'll continue the investigation."
Students have reported hearing rumors that the suspect or suspects are high-profile members of the campus community.
In a previous interview, Joe DiVita, Sigma Pi Fraternity president, said the suspect or suspects are not members of the fraternity.
Mejia said it is difficult to comment on such rumors because they don't want to bring negative attention to anyone unless it's factual.
Mejia said rumors will develop in any major cases as a result of communication and miscommunication.
"The original information becomes less fact and more rumor as it gets passed on," he said.
Mejia said UAPD doesn't like to talk about ongoing investigations because it has a responsibility to the victim and the accused to gather the facts and present them to the County Attorney.
Although no new information has been released since April, Mejia said the investigation is not taking any longer than most cases.
In several cases evidence has to be submitted to labs. Mejia said when this is the case, the police are at the mercy of the backlog at the state crime labs. He said murder cases take precedence over sexual assault cases.
When it is clear in a case that a crime has occurred and the suspect was involved, police will make an arrest immediately, Mejia said. He said in most cases they have to take time to talk to witnesses and to gather facts.
"We don't want to error, especially in a matter as grave as this," he said.
Two weeks after the reported assault, a caller who identified himself as "John" said on a KNST 790 AM talk show that he was at the Sigma Pi fraternity when the student reported she was raped. "John" suggested on the show that UAPD is covering up a crime and taking the side of well-known campus men.
Mejia said it's not secrecy but integrity that is keeping the investigation open. All of the information has to be gathered and processed, he said. After the case is closed, it will become public record.
Mejia said UAPD is working closely with the County Attorney on this case to ensure the wrong information is not put out.
"We have to be right. We can't guess when it comes to taking away a person's freedom," he said.
Mejia said he has no idea when the case will close and said it depends on whether they need to continue the investigation after the County Attorney review.
Details of the case will not be released until the case is closed or until someone is officially charged with the rape.
Bill McCollum of the Pima County Attorney's office said its role is to advise law enforcement because the case is still ongoing. He said the final decision on whether or not to prosecute will not come until UAPD is done with the investigation. McCollum said he could not comment on whether there are any suspects because it would impede the investigation.