Two rapes were reported on Ohio State’s campus within the last two weeks. Both investigations are ongoing, and the victim knew the suspect in each case, according to Ohio State University Police.
The first case was reported at about 6:30 p.m. April 15. The incident allegedly occurred on April 7 in Bradley Hall between 1:30 and 5 a.m., according to the report.
University Police Deputy Chief Richard Morman said the suspect was “a friend of a friend.”
The 19-year-old woman is an OSU student, but the male suspect is not affiliated with the university, Morman added.
The second rape was reported at 2:40 p.m. on April 12. The incident allegedly occurred earlier that day, between 1 and 3 a.m. in the Residence on 10th, according to a University Police report.
The 20-year-old woman was friends with the suspect, and the two had previously been in a consensual relationship, Morman said.
Morman said both the woman and the suspect in this case are OSU students.
Alcohol was involved, according to the report.
OSU Student Life spokesman Dave Isaacs said offering support to the students is the university’s main focus.
“The university takes these reports very seriously, and obviously one of our first priorities is the wellness of students involved,” Isaacs said. “We want to support them in any way that we can.”
Isaacs said OSU has many resources for students involved in cases of sexual violence, including the Student Wellness Center, Counseling and Consultation Service and the Student Advocacy Center.
Morman said a public safety alert was not sent to students after either incident because police know who the suspects are.
“Because we knew who the suspects were in both cases, it’s not a continuing threat to the university community,” he said. “So this wasn’t a situation, and not to downplay the seriousness of it because it’s still a serious crime whether the victim knew the suspect or not, this is not a situation where it’s a continuing threat to the campus community.”
One of the females declined to comment, and the other did not respond to an email requesting comment.
Nine out of 10 college-aged victims of sexual assault have known the suspect. Of victims between the ages of 18 and 29, two out of three had prior relationships with the perpetrator, according to the National Institute of Justice.
Fourteen sex crimes have been reported on OSU’s campus since the beginning of Fall Semester. A rape was reported on Oct. 12 in Park-Stradley, followed by a gross sexual imposition reported on Nov. 4 that is still pending investigation. There was also a rape reported on Nov. 21 in Park-Stradley, but the location was later changed to Paterson Hall. The case has since been closed because the “victim refused to cooperate,” according to the University Police log.
Investigations into an alleged Sept. 9 rape and an alleged Nov. 11 sexual imposition, both in Morrill Tower, have been closed, as well as an alleged Nov. 21 rape at Mirror Lake. Alleged rapes in the Neil Avenue Residence Hall on Nov. 10 and Norton House on Jan. 8 are listed as “investigation pending.” The case of an Oct. 14 reported sexual imposition in Neuropsychological Services has been closed. Reported sexual impositions on Aug. 30 at the South Oval and Sept. 7 at Medical Center East are both still under investigation. The investigation into an alleged Jan. 12 rape in the Neuropsychology Department is listed as “unfounded,” according to the police log.