Police: Assailant in State College Rape Cases ‘Likely to Continue’ If Not Caught

The male assailant sought in three State College rape cases may be of college age, look down on women and use social influence to degrade them, borough police reported Thursday afternoon.

He also is ‘likely to continue to commit these crimes if not identified and arrested,’ they wrote in a statement.

Earlier Thursday, police Chief Tom King confirmed DNA evidence has recently linked one person to the reported rapes. That person, however, has yet to be identified.

In the written statement released in the afternoon, the police department shared more details from its ongoing investigation. Among the reported specifics:

• The rapes involved three women. One was attacked between 2 and 4 a.m. Aug. 22, 2010, in the area of East Prospect Avenue and Locust Lane; the second, between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. Jan. 28, 2011, in the area of Fraternity Row and/or East Prospect Avenue; and the third, between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. April 3, 2011, in the area of West Fairmount Avenue and South Burrowes Street.

• In all three cases, the women said they did not know the assailant. All the attacks happened in a northern section of the Highlands neighborhood. Also in each case, the targeted woman is white and of college age, was walking alone and was highly intoxicated. Each suffered sexual and physical violence.

• ‘It is possible the offender has committed other rapes or assaults and/or has been involved in acquaintance or date-rate situations that may have gone unreported,’ the police statement reads. Consultation with an FBI behavioral-analysis unit has led investigators to believe the assailant may be of college age; feel comfortable in the Highlands neighborhood; appear confident; have a dominant and controlling personality; not handle rejection well; resort to retaliation upon rejection; and be prominent in the local social scene and influential over others there. He also probably has used social influence to degrade women who’ve rejected him, sees women as having little value and not worthy of good treatment, and targets women who are alone and intoxicated.

Police wrote the assailant ‘is likely to continue to commit these crimes if not identified and arrested.’ They’re hopeful the details provided Thursday will help local residents identify any possible suspects, they wrote.

‘For the sake of both potential victims and the offender himself, it is essential to identify this person before any additional crimes occur or the offender increases his level of violence,’ the statement reads. Police have asked anyone with any information about the reported rapes — and anyone who knows someone who matches the listed characteristics — to call them at (814) 234-7150 or to submit an anonymous tip via the borough website.

Police also are urging residents to report any previously unreported sexual assaults or rapes, and to ‘receive the assistance, resources and support available to you.

‘Any and all information that is provided is valuable,’ the police statement goes on. ‘The information provided may help police identify additional victims, witnesses or suspects. Because DNA evidence is available, a determination about potential suspects will be analyzed quickly and definitively.’

Borough police are offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and a conviction.

Earlier coverage, including a link to the full text of the police statement, is available below.

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UPDATED @ 1:23 p.m. March 15: State College police have now released a detailed, written statement about these reported rape cases. The statement is posted on this borough web page.

This article page will be updated.

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Earlier report, posted @ 9:57 a.m. March 15:

DNA evidence has connected a single assailant to three stranger rape cases in State College borough, police Chief Tom King confirmed Thursday morning.

The reported forcible rapes happened between August 2010 and April 2011. King said recent DNA findings show one male was involved in the attacks, though ‘we have not identified the person’ responsible.

‘All three (cases) involved white, college-age women — and in all three cases, the women were walking alone or (otherwise outside) alone and were under the influence, highly intoxicated,’ King said.

He said one reported rape was in the area of Locust Lane and Prospect Avenue; another, in the area of West Fairmount Avenue and South Burrowes Street; and the other, in the vicinity of the Highlands fraternity district and Fraternity Row.

The women in the cases suffered not only sexual violence but also other physical violence, King said. While the assailant used no weapons, King said, the man choked or punched the women, leaving them cut and bruised.

State College police will release a formal written statement with additional details later Thursday, King said. He said authorities will offer a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the perpetrator.

The forthcoming statement, written with hope that the public will help investigators, will include ‘likely characteristics of the rapist,’ King said.

‘It’s possible that someone has had a relationship with this person and may recognize the characteristics,’ he said. Borough police have consulted with a FBI behavioral-analysis unit, King added.

He encouraged residents to re-read the police department’s earlier sexual-assault-awareness statement. That is posted on the borough website.

The earlier public statement, including tips for assault prevention, was issued in advance of the State Patty’s Day drinking holiday last month and the onset of warm weather, King said.