More than a week after 18-year-old Hannah Graham disappeared in the early hours of Saturday, September 13, Charlottesville police are offering limited information on several alleged assaults that occurred near UVA Grounds. While the alleged assaults and Graham’s disappearance all occurred within the same 48-hour period, police say they are unrelated and in one case an arrest has already been made.
According to Charlottesville Police Sergeant D.J. Harris, a female UVA student reported a sexual assault that allegedly occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, September 13, near Wertland Street. Harris declined to offer specific details about the alleged assault other than the time and general location but said the assailant is described as a white male. An investigation is underway, Harris said, but no arrest has been made.
A second possible sexual assault was reported two nights later, sometime around 1:30am on Monday, September 15, when a woman was found along the 200 block of 15th Street not far from the railroad tracks.
“She was unconscious—sleeping, or incapacitated. We don’t know,” said Harris, who said that although the woman received medical treatment, police are still not certain whether an assault of any kind occurred. “That’s the problem with this. We don’t know,” he said. “We’re going to treat it as though something major has occurred. We’re taking every precaution. We’ve canvassed the area.”
Harris said police believe the second woman, who does not attend UVA, had been there for 30-40 minutes before she came into contact with police, who have reviewed surveillance video of the area and did not see signs of an attack or any other disturbance. He declined to say whether she had been alone prior to becoming incapacitated and he would not elaborate on the nature of her injuries or the type of treatment she received. “That’s part of the investigation,” he said.
A third assault also occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, September 13, at the intersection of 13th and Wertland streets. According to Harris, the male victim was beaten and suffered serious injuries.
Harris said 28-year-old Eldridge Smith, a Charlottesville resident, was arrested on September 17 and charged with unlawful wounding related to the incident. He is due to appear in Charlottesville District Court on Tuesday, September 23 at 10am.
