Sexual assault at Sacramento State’s main quad marks third for campus in recent weeks
Sacramento State police arrested a suspect accused of sexual battery Saturday evening outside the university’s library, marking the third reported instance of sexual assault at the campus since late September, as authorities continue to seek a lone suspect accused in the two earlier assaults.
The suspect in Saturday’s incident was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery, Sacramento State Police Chief Chet Madison Jr. said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon at the campus.
The battery took place around 5:15 p.m. at the university’s main quad, in front of the library, Madison said.
The male suspect, who was not identified, was detained a short time later near Eureka Hall. He was cited and released and has been banned from returning to campus, the chief said.
Saturday’s incident is unrelated to a pair of linked sexual assaults: one off-campus on Sept. 23 and the other on the Sacramento State campus last Wednesday, Madison said. All three victims have been students, he said.
Police in a news release late last week said a man who identifies himself as “Zayn” is sought in connection with both of those assaults. He is described as white, about 22 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes, and is about 6 feet tall and 175 pounds.
University police said the man told victims he was a Sacramento State student, but that he is not enrolled at the school and may also have ties to San Jose State University.
“There’s no specific area” where the assaults have been concentrated or where police are focusing patrols, Madison said.
“We have 300 acres here at Sac State ... Saturday at 6 p.m. we had a football game going. And we have dorms on the north side of campus, we have the Hornet Commons on the south side of campus. So there’s no specific target area.”
Madison said there does not appear to be a significant increase in sex crimes at the campus, but that direct comparisons to 2021 and 2020 are difficult due to the reduced campus population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year, we are back to being almost fully populated on campus,” said Madison, who became the campus police chief last year.
“We have not seen an uptick. I think what we’re seeing is, we’re seeing individuals who are comfortably reporting if there’s some issue or problem. I would rather have that than someone not reporting it to us.”
Madison also urged students and others at the university to make use of the “blue light” emergency call boxes that are spread out across the campus. The chief said there has not been a significant increase in calls through those boxes so far this academic year, which began in late August.
Madison said Tuesday he was “confident” Saturday’s incident was isolated and resolved with the arrest, but that the investigation into the Zayn assaults remains ongoing. Campus police are pursuing leads, but the chief said he could not provide further details in order to maintain the integrity of the investigation.
The sexual assault incidents were first reported by the State Hornet campus newspaper.
Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call Sacramento State Police Department at 916-278-6000.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 2:38 PM.
