Two reported sexual assaults at UMass, one student retracts story

May 13, 2015

Two UMass Dartmouth students reported being sexually assaulted in a two-week span, though one student has retracted her story and no longer wishes to pursue an investigation.

On April 27, the Department of Public Safety received a report of sexual assault in a student’s room at Pine Dale Hall. The victim reported that an unknown male entered her room through an unlocked door and assaulted her between 3 and 5 a.m.

UMass Dartmouth Police have not released further details of the assailant at this time.

The second alleged assault was reported to have happened at 2 a.m. on April 29, but was not reported until May 5.

Following an investigation by UMass Dartmouth Police, the victim changed her original account including the identity of the assailant and the location of the event.

“The victim has opted to no longer pursue an investigation or criminal charges,” said UMass Dartmouth Chief of Police Emil R. Fioravanti.

The first report is still under investigation by the school's Department of Public Safety. Crimes that occur on campus are handled internally by UMass Dartmouth Police and do not involve police from the town.