Police say a female left her friends behind at a party last weekend and
went home with three male subjects she did not know.

She was sexually assaulted and alcohol was a factor. Police are now
searching for the three men, said Mike Covarrubias, public information
officer for the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

Too often, college females go to the bar or a party and a friend
decides she’s leaving with a male neither she nor her friends know,
Covarrubias said.

“They should have some ground rules that they’re not going to let
their friends leave,” Covarrubias said. “At least they can make some
initial inquires about who are they leaving with.”

Alcohol is often used as a vehicle for drug-facilitated sexual
assaults, which police and awareness groups say are on the rise in
Mount Pleasant, Covarrubias said.

There were two additional incidents reported where males were
drugged and one drugging was intended for a female.

There’s never been a more important time to watch out for your
friends when participating in weekend festivities, said Steve Thompson,
coordinator of Sexual Aggression Services and adviser to the Sexual
Assault Peer Advocates.

This weekend is Western Weekend and Sunday is Halloween, and for CMU
students, both events are associated with parties.

Thompson said SAPA, which began in 1996, is noticing an increase in
drug-facilitated sexual assaults, with Gamma hydroxybutyrate — commonly
known as GHB and Ketamine — being the main culprits.

“SAPA has dealt with 32 sexual assaults that occurred this semester.
Of those incidents, I suspect at least five were drug-facilitated
assaults,” Thompson said.

Sgt. Dale Heugel of the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department said he
too has seen an increase in drug-facilitated sexual assault reports.

“I don’t know the actual reasoning for it for, if it is happening
more or people are coming forth more, but we have seen more assaults,”
he said.

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates more than 430,000 people in
America are victimized by sexual assault each year. Three out of four
victims are acquainted with their attackers.

What is GHB?

DanceSafe, a non-profit night club harm-prevention organization,
reports GHB usually comes as an odorless liquid with a slightly salty
taste.

It can be found in powder and capsule form and is classified as a
sedative-hypnotic originally developed as a sleep-aid, the group states
on its Web site, http://www.dancesafe.org.

The effects of “G” are usually felt between ten minutes and one hour
after ingestion and can last about 2-3 hours, but residual effects can
last up to a whole day.

Symptoms of being drugged

Thompson said GHB will most likely be put in a citrus-based drink to
mask the taste. Depending on the dosage, the effects might take a while
to surface.

Someone consuming one ounce would experience a mild, pleasant
drunkenness, with a release of inhibitions. If a larger dose is
consumed, the individual still will experience that phase but the
effects will escalate, inducing slurred speech, strong release of
inhibitions, memory loss, vomiting and strong muscle twitching.

“Typically when a friend sees this behavior a voice says to them ‘I
have never seen them this way with this little alcohol,’” Thompson said

If someone suspects a person has been drugged, get them away from
where they are and immediately involve medical personnel.

“The effects of GHB can increase. Don’t assume the effects are at
their peak. People have shut down breathing with ‘G,’ some have gone
into a coma and some have died from suffocation on their own vomit,” he
said.

Prevention

Thompson said drugging has been found both in public places such as
bars and private places such as houses and apartments.

“If you go with a friend, leave with a friend, and know what you are
drinking,” he said.

Thompson said officials are seeing an increase of drug-facilitated
sexual assault.

“This semester there was a report of a man putting drugs in peoples’
drinks for grins,” Thompson said.

After the fact

There are many outlets for students who have been sexually
assaulted. They can call CMU’s Counseling Center, Women’s Aid and
resident assistants, who are trained to help survivors. Listening Ear,
772-2918, and SAPA, 774-2255, both offer a 24-hour help line.

Ross Rapaport, director of the Counseling Center, located in Foust
102, said the center offers confidential free counseling services to
students.

The center is open 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday and appointments are readily available to students.

Heugel said it is important to report incidents so the perpetrators
can be caught and not continue to assault others.

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