Rape reported at Cal Poly’s Architecture Graveyard. Police are searching for suspect
Trigger warning: This story contains content regarding sexual assault and violence.
The Cal Poly Police Department is searching for a suspect who reportedly raped someone on campus on Monday, according to a message sent to students by the San Luis Obispo university on Tuesday.
The rape occurred in the Design Village area north of Poly Canyon Road, the university said in a Timely Warning Crime Bulletin notice sent to students as required by the Jeanne Clery Act.
The area, also known as the Architecture Graveyard, is a popular destination for hiking, running and mountain biking.
“This news is both heartbreaking and sobering, and I want to assure you all that we are taking the incident very seriously and responding with all appropriate resources,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong wrote Tuesday in a note to the campus community. “While the details that can be shared are limited, the crime was reported to the Cal Poly Police Department, which is investigating aggressively with the aim of maintaining campus safety and holding the perpetrator accountable to the fullest extent possible.”
Armstrong noted that Cal Poly police have reached out to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office “in case additional investigative resources are required.”
“Given today’s horrific news, please check in on your friends, hallmates and classmates,” Armstrong wrote in his note to the campus community. “They may be needing some extra care, and we are all here to support each other with love, empathy and respect.”
The rape suspect is described as a white male in his early 20s with a muscular build and no facial fair, standing 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 180 to 200 pounds.
Cal Poly director of media relations Matt Lazier would not confirm whether the suspect or the alleged victim are university students.
Anyone with any information about the incident is encouraged to contact Cal Poly police at 805-756-2281 or police@calpoly.edu.
How to get help
There are on-campus resources available to students.
Safer provides confidential resources for the campus community for addressing sexual assault, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual exploitation and harassment. Call 805-756-2282 or email safer@calpoly.edu.
Cal Poly Counseling Services provides clinical, educational, and consultative services for students. Call 805-756-2511.
Additionally, if you are a rape victim, support services are available 24 hours every day from Lumina Alliance, formerly RISE & Stand Strong, a local organization dedicated to ending sexual and intimate partner violence. Their crisis line is 805-545-8888.
More resources:
- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) https://rainn.org/
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) http://www.nsvrc.org/
- Victim and Witness Assistance Services https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/District-Attorney/Victim-Witness-Assistance-Center.aspx
- Cal Poly Title IX Coordinator Maren Hufton: 805-756-6770 or crco@calpoly.edu
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 1:24 PM.
