SSU police investigate reported rape on Rohnert Park campus

Sonoma State University police are investigating a report of a rape that occurred Oct. 11-12 at a freshmen dormitory on the northwest part of its Rohnert Park campus, according to the school’s crime log.

It is at least the seventh reported rape this year on the university’s campus.

The rape was reported to campus police Oct. 22. According to the log, the assault occurred at the university’s Cabernet Village, which is a freshmen residential hall that includes two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments.

University spokesman Paul Gullixson declined to provide any additional information about the rape report because the university police “have just begun investigating.” He said the university had to “err on the side of caution” to protect the identities of individuals involved in the case “until the facts can be determined.”

The incident was not disclosed to the university community in a timely alert, which is a notification that warns staff and students of crimes that occur on campus, Gullixson said. He said that under the Clery Act, the university is required to send timely alerts when there is the potential of danger to the campus in general, which the university did not believe was the case in this situation.

Sonoma State University police investigated 13 rapes in 2018 - an increase from previous years, according to the university’s 2019 Annual Security Report.

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee.