MOSCOW, Idaho — The Moscow Police Department says it has completed its investigation of a possible sexual assault that reportedly happened near Ghormley Park on Monday, Nov. 11 and found that the assault did not occur.
According to police, investigators learned that the call was a false report and says there is no information indicating that an assault suspect is in the Moscow area.
MPD said in a press release that it hopes the findings of the investigation will ease feelings of fear in the community.
"We are hopeful the findings of this investigation can help bring feelings of relief and security back to our community and to students on the University of Idaho campus."
According to MPD, an officer was patrolling before being alerted to a possible sexual assault by friends of the alleged victim on Nov. 11. Moscow Police said the victim was walking home to the Wallace Dormitory at the University of Idaho's campus when the possible sexual assault happened.
Police said a car reportedly pulled up next to the victim and a man allegedly forced them into the vehicle and assaulted them before releasing them and leaving the scene.
In a press release sent to KREM 2 Moscow Police said a Vandal Alert was sent by the University of Idaho about the possible sexual assault. This comes following reports of a sexual assault at Washington State University last month, which WSU police said they eventually found no evidence of the assault.
Moscow Police released the following statement in the press release in regard to the reported sexual assault at WSU.
"MPD is also aware of the Vandal Alert which was sent out by the University of Idaho regarding this report. We at MPD understand the fear associated with these types of communication and want to assure our community that their safety is our top priority. This is especially relevant given the recent discussions among students at both the University of Idaho and Washington State University about a "serial rapist" being in our area. MPD recently released a statement on our Facebook page stating we had no information that indicated there was a suspect assaulting multiple people in our area and Washington State University Police concluded that the reported October 21 assault in Pullman could not be substantiated. At this time, MPD still does not have information which would indicate that there is a suspect who is assaulting multiple people in the area."