St. Kate’s student reports sexual assault on River Road

A St. Catherine University student reported April 12 to St. Catherine Public Safety that three men sexually assaulted her April 10, according to a Public Safety report.

According to the report, while walking on Mississippi River Road south of the Ford plant at about 6 p.m., the student noticed three men following her. When the path cleared, the men grabbed the student, pulled her off the path and sexually assaulted her. The incident occurred about 1.5 miles south of St. Kate’s campus.

The report states, “Two of the men sexually assaulted her while the third male held her down. During the assault, the perpetrators were laughing but otherwise did not speak to the victim.” St. Kate’s has shared information about the incident with the St. Paul Police Department.

Laura Goodman, director of public safety at St. Catherine, said no new information is available. Everything is confidential and there are no updates at this time. She does have some advice for students, however.

“Students should always be aware of their surroundings, and even when they are, bad things can happen,” Goodman said. “Know that when bad things happen it’s not your fault, it’s the fault of the perpetrator.”

Students can call Ramsey County Sexual Offense Services’ 24-hour hotline for sexual assault resources and services at 651-643-3006.

St. Thomas also offers sexual assault resources through the Dean of Students Office, Public Safety and Counseling and Psychological Services.

Maggie Clemensen, Tom Graves and Theresa Malloy contributed to this report.