Students at Ogg Residence Hall are still uneasy despite the arrest of a man who turned himself in for committing a sexual assault Oct. 12.
University of Wisconsin student Justine Chatterton said in spite of the suspect’s arrest, the anxiety associated with the incident will likely stay with Ogg residents.
“One thing that has changed is that I always lock my door at night. I’m really worried about it now,” Chatterton said. “In general, there is more awareness.”
An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for London A. Triplett, a 29-year-old resident of Milwaukee, nearly two weeks after an 18-year-old student living in Ogg Hall told police she had been raped.
The day the alleged assault occurred, the victim was in Ogg Hall and walking toward the cafeteria when Triplett approached her, attempting to kiss her on the neck, the criminal complaint said.
The victim told police she refused when Triplett asked to go up to her room. She walked to the elevator to go upstairs, and Triplett followed her. Following the victim into her bedroom, Triplett sat on her bed. When she said she wanted to go get something to eat, Triplett replied, “That’s fine. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Triplett then ordered the victim to remove her pants. When she refused, Triplett forcibly undressed her and sexually assaulted her, according to police reports.
UW student Tami Thompson said in light of the course of events leading up to the assault, Ogg students have become more sensitive to those entering the building, a concern absent before Oct. 12.
“Before, I didn’t care who came in, with a key or not.” Thompson said. “In my opinion, people are more cautious now with making sure they lock their doors, who is coming in, who is in the elevator.”
Thompson is sometimes afraid to be alone in her dorm.
“If my roommate is not in my room, I become kind of nervous,” Thompson said.
UW student Tim Treffert believes the issue of safety in university dorms has become especially prevalent for female residents.
“I think if I were a girl, I’d be careful walking around, keeping an eye out.”
Triplett, a member of the Milwaukee-area hip-hop group Coo Coo Cal, has not been connected to a similar incident at Ogg Hall Oct. 13. In that incident, a resident was sexually assaulted on a different floor.
This has marked the third reported campus sexual assault since June 30, when UW basketball recruit Marcetteaus McGee was placed under arrest by Madison police after he allegedly had sex with a sleeping female in the Towers.
The alleged rape at the Towers is the only one of the three reported assaults in which a UW student has been charged. McGee, whose trial is slated to commence next Tuesday, Nov 5., has since withdrawn from the university.
