Sonoma State University warns of reported rape of student on campus

A Sonoma State University student reported she was raped on campus in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to university spokesman Paul Gullixson.

The university sent out a “timely warning” notice about the reported crime to all students, faculty and staff Wednesday.

It is not clear when the assault was first reported to campus authorities.

Gullixson confirmed the victim was a student and that the suspect has not yet been identified.

The campus warning said the suspect in the case is not a Sonoma State student, and that he had met the victim on a dating website.

The suspect is a white male, approximately 6 feet tall and 250 pounds, according to the campus warning. He used the first name Sam, and had strawberry-blond hair, a mustache and a medium-length beard, the warning said.

The incident marks the second warning about a rape sent by the university this year.

The first, in late January, involved a report of a rape in a dorm room in which the victim said she was raped by an acquaintance who may have put a chemical in her drink.

In that case, university officials have declined to say whether either the victim or the suspect were students.

Gullixson said Wednesday he did not have any further information on the prior case.

It is not clear if campus police or Rohnert Park authorities ever made an arrest.

Gullixson declined to answer more detailed questions about the assault reported this week.

“We have to be very careful about what information is released, and that what information is released is done in consultation with our police and our legal counsel,” he said. “We have to be careful about protecting the identity of the victim and protecting the rights of everybody involved.”

Ten rapes were reported at Sonoma State in 2017, according to the latest campus figures.

That marked a jump from the previous year, in which only five rapes were reported on campus.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Beale at 707-521-5205 or andrew.beale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @iambeale.