Indiana Statesman

ISU police is searching for two black males in connection with an alleged sexual battery that occurred early Sunday morning.

At approximately 4 a.m. Sunday, one of the men reportedly held the female victim against the wall of the Burford Hall elevator, while the other placed his hands down her pants. Both males are reported to be 5'9" tall. The alleged perpetrator is described as having chin length hair with black and clear beads. A more thorough description of his accomplice was not available.

ISU Public Safety Director Bill Mercier said ISU police was still developing leads in the case. Mercier said he hoped that the surveillance set-up in the Burford lobby would offer some of the necessary visual evidence needed to find the perpetrators.

Mercier said he also hoped the newly instated e2Campus system, an emergency text messaging notification system, would help bring a quick end to the investigation. e2Campus delivers emergency notices to the cell phones of anyone in the Terre Haute area who wishes to receive them. To date, approximately 560 people have signed up for the service. Mercier said this was an important step in catching on-campus criminals.

"One of the biggest steps is getting the word out," Mercier said. "Hopefully, our new resources (like e2Campus) will help us better interact with students in helping us solve criminal matters."

Lastly, Mercier said that he hoped that incidents such as the one at Burford could serve as a teaching tool for students to be more cautious when walking alone late at night.

"I hope that more people will be more alert and cautious," Mercier said. Some cautionary measures he encouraged students to take include being aware of their surroundings and being cautious when walking alone on campus, particularly in the evening.

Anyone with any information of the Burford case are strongly encouraged to contact Public Safety at 237-5555 or via email at pubsafety@indstate.edu. To sign up for e2Campus, fill out a registration form online at indstate.edu/pubsafety/e2campus/login.htm.

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