Student claims assault
An unfounded claim reported by a CSB student was made to CSB Campus Security on Sunday, Oct. 25.
A report of a CSB student who claimed to be assaulted raised safety concerns on campus this week, but it was later determined to be unfounded.
The student filed a report to campus security that she was physically assaulted by an unknown male near West Apartments at CSB, according to a statement from CSB+SJU on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The alleged altercation occurred at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, and was reported to CSB Security at approximately 3:30 p.m. that day. The initial warning, sent to the campus community Sunday evening, raised concerns about campus safety.
The alleged aggressor was described as a tall man with brown hair wearing a T-shirt and jeans who may have sustained a cut to his face during the encounter. A second unidentified man was also reportedly present. The warning stated that it was unknown whether either man was affiliated with CSB+SJU.
In a follow-up email issued Wednesday, CSB+SJU said the St. Joseph Police Department had concluded its investigation and determined that the report was unfounded.
“The incident did not occur as originally reported and that there was no ongoing threat to the campus community associated with the report,” the statement said.
Russell Klein, CSB+SJU’s interim director of facilities, said the college issues timely warnings as quickly as possible when a report suggests a serious or ongoing threat to the community.
“Those warnings are updated as more information becomes available,” Klein said via email.
Klein said the college will share additional information with the CSB+SJU community if it becomes available. He also encouraged anyone who experiences or witnesses a crime to report it, and support resources will remain available to students.
In Minnesota, a person who falsely reports a crime could be charged with a misdemeanor, according to mn.gov.
The Record contacted CSB Security and the St. Joseph Police Department for additional comment but did not receive responses before publication. The Record will update this story if additional information becomes available.
