Duke student says she was raped

She said an off-campus assault occurred in the bathroom at a party

DURHAM -- Police are investigating allegations that a Duke University student was raped at an off-campus party on Gattis Street around 3 a.m. Sunday.

More than 50 people attended a rowdy party over the weekend at 405 Gattis St., a duplex where several male Duke students live, according to Durham police. Neighbors said large number of cars were parked along the street and loud music blared from the house.

An 18-year-old woman said she was raped in a bathroom of the residence, according to a Durham police news release.

Police had not charged anyone but released a description of a suspect. The man is described as being in his late teens or early 20s, about 6-foot-1 and wearing a black do-rag, a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans, according to a police news release.

Early Sunday afternoon, beer cans and bottles were strewn throughout the lawn and bushes of the residence. Blue and red disposable cups perched on a column pedestal on the front porch, and a half-dozen black garbage bags had been put in the trash, holding the trappings of a standard college party: water bottles, pizza boxes, plastic foam plates.

The allegations come two weeks after Duke released a discipline report showing that off-campus incidents processed by Duke's Office of Judicial Affairs had dropped 85 percent in the summer and fall of 2006 compared to the same period the previous year. The report attributed the drop in incidents to several factors, including reaction to sexual assault allegations stemming from a March 2006 off-campus party attended by members of the Duke men's lacrosse team.

Three of the team's former players have been charged with sexually assaulting a woman who had been hired to perform at the party.

The players maintain their innocence, and rape charges were dropped after the accuser later told an investigator she could not be sure intercourse had occurred.

A news release issued by Duke University late Sunday said campus officials are cooperating with Durham police in their investigation and providing support to the woman involved.

Anyone with information about Sunday's incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 683-1200. Callers don't have to identify themselves, and cash rewards can be paid for information leading to arrests.