Student assaulted; unharmed


By Holly Wells
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday, September 19, 2005

A man attempted to sexually assault a UA student in the campus area early Friday morning causing police to reiterate the importance of locking doors and being alert.

A student was sleeping in her home near East Adams Street when she woke up around 3 a.m. to find an unknown man in her room, said Tucson Police Department Sgt. Kerry Fuller.

The man got into the house through an unlocked door and attempted to assault the student but was frightened away, Fuller said.

“She’s horribly traumatized,” Fuller said of the victim.

Several of the woman’s roommates were also home at the time, she said.

But even if students have a roommate or are not home alone they should always lock their doors, Fuller said.

Fuller said no arrests have been made, but she would not comment on whether there are suspects in the case.

This is also not the first time police have warned students about home safety this semester.

Sgt. Ron Zimmerling of TPD told the Arizona Daily Wildcat earlier this month that a UA student said someone tried to break into her campus-area apartment on the 1400 block of North Park Avenue sometime during the last weekend of August.

The woman was sleeping when she heard someone trying to get in around 3 a.m., Zimmerling said.

The student said she was scared but hadn’t been able to see anyone so she did not call police, Zimmerling said.

Students who feel their safety is in jeopardy should not hesitate to call 911, said Dallas Wilson, TPD spokesman.

“Use common sense,” Wilson said. “If you feel a crime will be committed you need to call because time is of the essence.”

Students should watch out for their neighbors by calling police if they notice a suspicious person in the area, Fuller said.

“It can become a serious situation if you’re not aware of your surroundings,” Fuller said.

Other safety tips include keeping your home well lit, including turning on outside lights; not allowing strangers into the building; trimming bushes and trees that are near windows and doors so that people can’t hide behind them; and always letting someone know where you are, Fuller said.

Fuller said students should try to create a safe environment for themselves.

“Walk in pairs, don’t let someone lurk outside your home,” she said.