A female Notre Dame student reported being sexually assaulted between Pasquerilla West and Siegfried Halls at 2 a.m. Sunday, director of Notre Dame Security Police (NDSP) Phil Johnson said.
Johnson said this case is not related to another sexual assault reported to NDSP on March 23 in which a female student claimed she was raped in her residence hall by an acquaintance.
"We are still investigating that case, but there is no reason to assume that these events are in any way connected," Johnson said.
Johnson said NDSP did not know the name of the suspect in Sunday's assault.
According to an e-mail NDSP sent to students Sunday, the female told NDSP the suspect followed her and walked with her from West quad to North quad and asked her questions. When she declined to give the suspect her telephone number, he allegedly grabbed her by the hair, held her against the wall and fondled her near the northwest corner of Siegfried hall.
The suspect fled the scene on foot once the female informed him she was calling NDSP. The victim then returned to her residence hall.
There is no evidence suggesting the two were acquaintances, Johnson said, or whether alcohol was involved. The case was not classified as a "rape, but as a sexual assault," Johnson said.
All the available information about the case was released in the e-mail, Johnson said.
NDSP said the suspect is a white male, college age, 6-foot-2 with a medium build and wore a gray-hooded sweatshirt with "Notre Dame" across the front. NDSP said it did not know if the suspect was a student.
Students with information about Sunday morning's assault are asked to contact the NDSP investigations section at 574-631-8340.
