An alleged rapist is still on the loose, at the time of printing, after last week’s abduction of a female student on ULM’s campus.

The incident, which was originally reported by university officials as an “off-campus assault,” was recorded by Monroe Police and ULM Police Departments as “forcible rape” and was first reported by The Hawkeye as such.

ULM officials released a statement for why the attack was categorized as an “off-campus assault” and not “forcible rape.”

“The purpose of the notification on Friday, Jan. 18, was to notify the university community of an alleged crime and a detailed description of the suspect. The notification also urged faculty, staff and students to remain vigilant of their surroundings, as safety is of the utmost importance at ULM,” said Laura Clark, Director of ULM Media Relations.

According to police reports, the attacker, who claimed to have a gun, abducted the student on foot from Hemphill Hall and took her to the 3300 block of Armand Street, where she was raped. Afterward, she was walked back to campus by her attacker and released. She was then taken to the hospital to treat injuries sustained in the attack.

The differences between “assault” and “forcible rape” are noted in the laws of the State of Louisiana.

Assault is a crime in which a person attempts a battery. Battery is when someone inflicts bodily harm on someone, and there are varying degrees.

Forcible rape is when a person, who is raped, has given up any hope of resisting or is drugged.

“Assault is at the bottom rung of the violence ladder, then there’s battery, then there’s the more serious offenses,” said Marcy Allen, a criminal defense attorney with Monroe law firm Cameron Murray and Associates.

She said forcible rape is a far more serious crime than an assault.

Allen said the penalty for an assault is a $200 fine or 90 days in jail. The penalty for forcible rape is five to 40 years of hard labor.

“It appears, based on the information at my disposal, that the university may have underplayed the potential danger to its student body,” Allen said.

Allen, who has been practicing law in Louisiana and Texas for 12 years, also said that if she were prosecuting this case she would try for an “aggravated rape” charge, since the suspect allegedly had a gun.

According to the Sex Offender Registry provided by the state police there are more than 25 sex offenders in the immediate vicinity of the university. The risks of these types of crimes are real.

Of those offenders at least one was convicted of forcible rape.

The university urged students to remain aware of their surroundings and to report suspicious people to campus police.

This is the first sexual offense reported by campus police in at least three years, according to the annual campus crime report, which is furnished by the police department in accordance with the Clery Act.

If anyone has any tips they are advised to report them to the ULM police at (318) 342-5350