Woman reports sexual assault

The Bloomington Police Department is investigating a possible attempted rape after a man reportedly entered a woman’s Smallwood Plaza apartment, forced himself on top of her and possibly masturbated on her.

Officers spoke with the victim after a friend of hers received text messages from the victim stating she had been sexually assaulted while sleeping in her room during the early morning hours of Saturday.

The victim met with detectives Saturday at the BPD, Sgt. Lucas Tate said.

She told police she had returned home just before midnight Saturday and came in contact with a male acquaintance who lived on the same floor. The two chatted briefly in the elevator, Tate said, and the woman retired to her apartment, where no one else was home.

The victim told police she fell asleep and awoke later to a light, which came from an iPhone app. The male acquaintance then sat on the victim’s bed, she told police, at which time she realized he was intoxicated.

The suspect allegedly attempted to force himself on the victim, unsuccessfully tried to remove her pants and possibly masturbated on her, Tate said. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment.

BPD attempted to contact Smallwood Plaza for assistance in its investigation, but the facility’s management initially refused to cooperate, Tate said.

Police then obtained a search warrant for any available video footage, and management allowed BPD to access their surveillance system. Police additionally collected evidence from the victim’s apartment.

John Sweeney, president of Barrett and Stokely, the Indianapolis-based managing agent for Smallwood Plaza, said Smallwood’s initial response to police requests was strictly policy.

If a request for information that could potentially contain private information about a Smallwood resident is made, he said, a subpoena is required.

“We don’t want anyone suffering an injury on the property,” he said. “But we also have a legal responsibility to people who have rights in this matter.”

Sweeney said since police have produced a warrant, Smallwood has every intention of cooperating in the investigation from this point on.

“We have the best interest of our residents at heart,” he said.

Police have not yet located the suspect, and the case remains active.

— Kirsten Clark