SANFORD, Fla. – A Central Florida college campus remains on alert after a student said she was attacked while on her way to class.
It happened April 24 around 8:30 a.m. at Seminole State College on the first floor of Building B, according to an alert issued to students and staff.
The alert also said a man approached the student, grabbed her arm and pulled her up to the second floor, where he touched her on various parts of her body.
SSC spokesman Jay Davis said the victim is a 19-year-old student and reported the attack a day after it happened and said she does not want to press charges.
The alert to the rest of the campus was issued on Tuesday. Local 6 reached out to school officials several times to find out why students weren't immediately alerted after the attack but never received a response.
School is out for the spring semester, but security on campus has been beefed up where the incident happened.
Seminole State said security personnel didn't follow the correct procedures in reporting the attack, causing a delay in alerting students on campus. According to the report, the school resource officer wasn't notified about the attack until Monday but the victim reported the incident on April 25--almost five days later.
School officials said the college is addressing the time lapse and mishandling of the reported incident with employees and will take appropriate action.
It's unclear how the victim was able to get free, but Davis said the incident is being investigated by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office as a misdemeanor battery.
"Seminole State's Safety and Security Office and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office have maintained a visible presence on campus and especially inside Building B since the incident was reported," said Davis in an email to Local 6. "The Sheriff's Office also has been in frequent contact with the victim."
Davis went on to say security is visible on campus and especially in Building B, which houses an adult high school. A SCSO resource officer and a campus security guard are routinely positioned inside the building, and each have offices inside the building as well, said Davis.
The assailant was described as a white man, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a scruffy facial appearance. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt and skinny jeans.
The following is the email sent to students and staff:
April 30, 2013
"All Seminole State College employees and students are encouraged to be extra vigilant and aware of surroundings. The Campus Safety and Security Department is reporting that an incident occurred Wednesday, April 24, 2013, on the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus.
A Seminole State student reported that at about 8:30 a.m. she was approached by an unknown male on the first floor of Building B while she was waiting for class. The student reported that she was grabbed by her arm, pulled upstairs to the second floor of the building and that the suspect touched her on various parts of her body.
The student described the suspect as a white male; approximately 5 feet, 11 inches; with a scruffy facial appearance; last seen wearing a gray shirt and skinny jeans. The suspect is at large, and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office is investigating."