Sexual assault reported near Utah State likely at a fraternity, Code Blue alert states
A sexual assault was reported near Utah State University campus, according to a Code Blue alert sent out to students Monday morning. The assault was reported to the Logan City Police Department Sunday night and the alert stated the report came 24 hours after the alleged incident. Police are investigating, the alert said, and there is no suspect at this time.
The reported sexual assault may have involved drugs or alcohol, the alert states, and although the location of the reported crime is unclear, the alert stated it “likely occurred at a fraternity” near campus.
The Logan Police Department is asking citizens to contact police if they have any information pertaining to the reported sexual assault.
“Everyone on campus has a responsibility to make our community safe,” the Code Blue states. “It is never possible to completely eliminate the risk of becoming a victim of a crime.”
The alert ends by providing resources to students and information about USU’s amnesty policy.
This Code Blue comes just one week after an alert was sent out to students warning about who police called a potentially dangerous man — Lonnie Nyman, who was arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.
There are three types of alerts the campus sends out to students: emergency notifications, timely warning notices and safety alerts. Amanda DeRito, the university’s sexual misconduct information and outreach coordinator, said university officials want students to be informed.
“We don’t have all the facts — it’s being investigated by Logan police,” DeRito said of the most recent alert. “But we have enough to know its a threat to our campus community.”
National data gathered for the Clery Report showed the highest number of sexual assaults on college campuses occurred during the fall — deemed the “red zone.”
“We know from national research on campuses that most sexual assaults occur before Thanksgiving break. We’re very aware of that. We definitely try to highlight it and we pay a lot of attention to it,” DeRito said.
DeRito said there is a push nationwide to send a higher number of alerts to college students. Last fall, in the months before Thanksgiving break, DeRito said there were two Code Blue alerts sent to students relating to sexual assault. This year, there have been three alerts total with one related to sexual assault.
“We want to make sure that we’re consistent and the we don’t scare students unnecessarily,” DeRito said. “But at the same time that we’re providing them with the information they need to be safe on campus.“
USU’s crime report was released in October.
laurenmarie.bennett@aggiemail.usu.edu
@laurmarben