Students are alerted at a metro area college after two reported sexual assaults during the first week of class. The college says they're taking steps to make sure the campus is safe, and they already know who the suspect is.
A notice hangs in residence halls at Iowa Western Community College notifying students of two sexual assaults reported on August 22nd and 23rd.
The man in question has been identified but it hasn't been released publicly. The college says he's been removed from campus while they investigate, and he can’t attend classes either.
"The Clery Act" is a federal statute that requires universities and colleges that use federal funding to share info about crimes on campus.
"That's very important that our student body is aware of what's going on so we tried to do our best to communicate to our students so that they're made aware so they can clearly be on the lookout,” said Don Kohler, VP of Marketing and Public Relations for Iowa Western CC. “We're taking the right steps to make sure our campus is safe."
Students were also notified through an email message.
Freshman Allyia Lewis says she was surprised by what may have happened, and glad she was notified quickly.
"I saw it yesterday and I was kind of scared because it was my first year of college and I'm kind of small so it kind of said that he is a big guy," Lewis described.
Iowa Western Campus Security will continue to investigate and turn over their findings to the Council Bluffs Police Department. After that authorities would decide if charges are filed or not.
The college says extra security efforts are in place to ensure safety of students. If any student would like a security escort, call campus security at 402-659-4939 or 8000 from any campus telephone.
