The Department of Campus Safety (DCS) is investigating two cases of forcible fondling that occurred near campus Thursday, Jan. 24.

According to DCS Sgt. Stephen Banet, the suspect in both cases is the same person, based on similarities in the descriptions of the victims and the circumstances of the assaults.

The first case was reported to DCS at 11:57 p.m. by a student who said she was walking down South High St. when a male approached her from behind and grabbed her buttocks.

The second victim reported a crime of similar nature at 2:27 a.m. She was walking in an alley near South Race St. when a man came from behind her and felt her buttocks.

In both instances the women were walking with a group of friends.

The description of the suspect is the same for both cases. He is described as a slim Caucasian man in his early 20s, about 5’ 9” tall, with brown hair covering his ears and hanging over his eyes. The night of the attacks, the victims reported he was wearing a maroon pullover DU sweater and black shorts.

In both instances, the man also hid behind objects along the sidewalk, such as bushes, before approaching the victims.

Banet said Campus Safety shared the information about the attacks with all Campus Safety officers on patrol and increased the number of “high visibility” patrols throughout campus and down the surrounding streets.

DCS has no suspects yet.

“Nothing is being discounted, we are keeping all our options open at this point,” said Banet.

Banet could not confirm if the man was the same man who committed a string of similar assaults last year.However, he said there were both definite similarities and dissimilarities between the attacks Thursday and those last year.

The man who forcibly fondled four students during fall quarter 2011 is described as white or Hispanic with a thin-to-medium build and aged anywhere from 19 to 29 years old.

Banet said that Campus Safety is taking the Thursday attacks very seriously. He said one of the victims from Thursday also filed a report with Denver Police Department (DPD), and they have now become involved in the investigation of the case.

“These are sexual assaults, and I would consider these a gateway crime,” said Banet.

Banet fears similar crimes could soon escalate if the offender is not found. He urged students to increase their awareness when walking on campus or on the surrounding streets and to not hesitate to call Campus Safety if they see anything suspicious.

“Unfortunately, the campus can be kind of an attraction (for crimes like these) with all the young people,” said Banet.

He also encouraged students to call Campus Safety for escort if they feel unsafe walking anywhere on campus.

“We’re always looking out for these kinds of things, but a lot of that also falls on the students,” said Banet.

Anyone who sees something suspicious is urged to call Campus Safety’s emergency number at 303-871-3000.