A victim of the Pioneer Pervert, an unidentified man who allegedly fondled two female students – one on Saturday, Aug. 27, and another on Monday, Sept. 26 – spoke out about her attack last Saturday in a Clarion exclusive.

“I don’t know where he appeared from – if he followed us or if he just saw us walking,” she said. “We didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was one of my friends playing a joke.”

The man is described as a white male with a buzz-cut hair style and glasses, 25-29 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds.

Tyrone Mills, associate director of Campus Safety, said he doesn’t think the suspect is a student because of his age.

“I really think it’s someone coming into our neighborhood,” he said.

The victim said she left the Pioneer Bar with a friend at around 12:30 a.m. and was walking down University Boulevard towards their home on Saturday, Aug. 27, when they noticed a man walking behind them.

About 30 seconds later, the victim and her friend heard running footsteps behind them. The man approached rapidly and reached under the victim’s skirt.

“I was wearing a summer dress, and I suddenly felt a hand go up my skirt and grab my butt,” said the victim. “My friend thought he was trying to steal our purses so she screamed.”

The victim said her friend then grabbed both their purses and clutched the victim’s arm, as if she was protecting her. After the man groped her, she said she turned around and pushed him. The suspect staggered backwards and then sprinted down an alley.

“After he started sprinting, my roommate and I looked at each other and realized that it wasn’t a joke,” she said. “I don’t know that we were scared so much as confused.”

The victim said that she and her friend then continued down University until they saw a neighbor. They told the neighbor what happened and then proceeded to call the non-emergency Denver Police Department (DPD) number to let them know what happened.

“One thing I was disappointed in was the police took a while to send someone to us,” said the victim.

According to the victim, a female cop showed up about 25 minutes later.

“This woman… didn’t even offer to take us to look for him in her police car,” she said. “I felt like she kind of brushed it off.”

The victim said she felt disappointed because the DPD is here to serve the community, and the officer acted like she and her friend were being dramatic.

The victim also said that she is not traumatized by the event, but feels it’s important to speak out because she wants other students to be aware.

“You hear about these things, but you never think it’s going to happen on our campus,” she said. “I think being aware is the most important – to know these things actually do happen and they happen on our campus.”

She thinks it’s important for the DPD to catch the man so he doesn’t assault anyone else.

“I think it’s important that they find the guy to protect women,” she said.

Det. John White of the DPD said that the department is conducting a follow-up investigation to try to find the individual responsible.

“We take this seriously,” he said. “We’re looking into it and hopefully we will be able to find this person.”

According to police reports, the characteristics of the suspect match those of the suspect in the most recent attack, which occurred on Monday, Sept. 27.

The report – as well as a warning message from Campus Safety sent out last Wednesday – states that on Sept. 27 at around 9:45 p.m., a female student was walking southbound in the 2500 block of South High Street – which is five blocks west of University, where the first incident occurred – when a man approached her and said he was lost.

After a brief exchange with the suspect, the victim continued walking southbound when the same man approached her from the rear and groped her buttock. After the victim yelled at him, he ran off.

Mills also said Campus Safety sent out the warning because, although the attacks did not happen directly on campus, in both instances, they involved students.

He also said that it’s always a concern that the man’s intentions could escalate.

“That’s the reason we got the warning out there,” he said.

He said the DCS has received three tips from the anonymous tip line, including one where a student thought she was being followed by a man matching the description.

“So far, nothing has panned out,” Mills said. “But every tip we get like that is important because we need to go back and investigate.”

Mills and White both said awareness is the best way to be safe.

White also said he encourages students to travel in groups, carry their cell phone at all times and think about how to alert the police if something were to happen.