Lane Stadium Attack
Completely unreported by the Collegiate Times, no notification from campus authorities, this incident seems to have completely gone under the radar. No wonder, considering the attitude of Tom Gabbard, associate director of athletics for internal affairs (see following article).
After reported sex crime, no security changes in store for Tech game
A Tech police official said staffing is “well-suited” for Hokies games despite a woman’s report that she was sodomized in a restroom.
By Mark Berman
981-3125Virginia Tech is not planning to change or upgrade security at Lane Stadium on Saturday in the wake of a reported sex crime at the last home football game.
A woman told Tech police Sept. 26 that she had been the victim of forcible sodomy in a women’s restroom at Lane Stadium during the Hokies game that day. No arrest has been made.
Saturday’s noon contest against Boston College will be Tech’s first home game since the reported attack.
“No security plan could eliminate all risks, but we believe the security plan and staffing that has been in place is well-suited,” Tech Deputy Police Chief Gene Deisinger said Wednesday.
Deisinger said the female fan reported that the incident took place at about halftime of the 3:30 p.m. game.
Tech police have not recommended any security changes to the athletic department, said Tom Gabbard, associate director of athletics for internal affairs.
“We don’t know that it happened,” Gabbard said. “We know that it was reported. But we don’t know that she was assaulted.”
The “crime remains under investigation,” Deisinger said. He said fans should be aware of their surroundings Saturday.
The restroom was on the east side of Lane Stadium, Gabbard said. It will remain in use Saturday.
“We have custodians that work almost every restroom,” Gabbard said. “We have them in there the whole game.”
Police are not sure how a man got into a women’s restroom unnoticed, Deisinger said. It was pouring rain that day, but Deisinger did not want to speculate on whether rain gear might have helped the man hide his gender.
It was a large restroom and was never locked, Deisinger said. Police would like to hear from any potential witnesses.
“If anybody observed a male in any … women’s restroom or behavior that caused concern to them that maybe they hadn’t reported up to this point, we would welcome that report,” Deisinger said.
No weapon was used, Deisinger said.
Gabbard said fans should not be alarmed.
About 200 police officers from Virginia Tech and nearby communities are at each home game. There also are about 200 event staff members at each home game, including employees of the company that handles security at the gates.
“There were officers and staff members throughout the stadium complex, including around the area of that restroom throughout the game,” Deisinger said.
Deisinger said “no weapon was used,” while Gabbard claims nothing happened at all. Because there’s nothing more fun than making up stories about being raped in a bathroom, right?
PS – after a sex assault on Radford Campus this week, the entire campus was notified immediately.