University of Virginia Library

Student Raped In Mad Lane Apartment

By GEORGE LYON

A 23-year-old University
co-ed was raped early
yesterday morning, police said,
after a young man, who police
think may have been involved
in past rapes in the area, broke
into her Madison Lane
apartment while she slept.

The man entered her
apartment through an
unlocked window around 2:30
a.m. and, according to
Charlottesville Police Chief
John deK. Bowen, told the
woman that if she screamed, he
would kill her.

Mr. Bowen said that the
man was unarmed and did not
strike the victim. She was
treated and released at
University Hospital.

Mr. Bowen described the
assailant as black, 18 to 21 years
old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, and
150 to 160 pounds. He said the
man has short hair, and was
wearing light colored shoes and
dark pants

According to Mr. Bowen,
there is a strong possibility that
the assailant is the same person
who has committed two other
rapes this year. He said that on
all three occasions the assailant
entered through an unlocked
window, and that the
description of the rapist in all
three incidents roughly
matched.

He also said that all three
attacks occurred in the same
area—from Madison Lane to
Fourteenth Street.

Three Cases

Those three cases are the
only rapes reported since
January, Mr. Bowen said. Last
year the city had seven
reported rapes, five of which
were cleared by arrest.

Police have reportedly
stepped up patrols in the area.

This was the second rape of
a University co-ed in the last
two months. Last March a 20
year-old student was allegedly
abducted into a car on
McCormick Road in front of
the Law School, driven out
into Southern Albemarle
County and raped by four
men. Police later apprehended
four suspects.

Assoc. Student Dean
Annette Gibbs said, "We always
talk to the people involved to
find out what happened from
the students' point of view and
what they can suggest to keep
these things from occurring
again."

"But what can you do?"
she asked. "You can't station a
policeman at every
apartment."

Suggestions

She added that Student
Affairs would appreciate any
suggestions that other people
might have on how to avoid
further incidents.

Mr. Bowen asked students
to keep their doors and
windows locked. "In every case
of rape or attempted rape," he
said, "the assailant has entered
through unlocked windows or
doors—no force was involved."

He also requested rape
victims to contact the police.
Many women who are raped do
not want to tell the police, he
explained.

"We want to know about
this," he said. "Many girls
won't report a rape."

Security Director W. Wade
Bromwell advised off-grounds
students to "do everything
possible to keep people from
gaining access to their
apartments."