Police are stepping up their patrols on two Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) campuses this week after several sex assaults near their campuses.
The most recent assault was reported Tuesday morning in the 21100 block of Potomac View Road. A victim told the Loudoun Sheriff's Department she was at a bus stop near the Loudoun campus between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday evening when a man came up to her, tried to kiss her on the cheek then hugged her.
The same evening around 7 p.m., a woman in her 20s told deputies a man approached her on a pedestrian walkway near the north lot of NOVA's Loudoun campus as she was walking to her car.
The woman reported no physical injuries, authorities said.
The suspect in both incidents is described as a white or Middle Eastern man who's 5'6", has an athletic build and short, dark hair. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored t-shirt and striped shorts.
Four days earlier, on Oct. 17, a woman told police she'd been sexually assaulted in a stairwell on the third floor of the CM Building on the Annandale campus. Police say the incident, which happened around 5 p.m., was broken up by someone who witnessed it.
The suspect in this alleged assault was described as a black male in his early 20s. Police say he is 6' tall and weighs 180 pounds.
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Police said they will provide an increased presence Tuesday and Wednesday at NOVA campuses, depending on how the investigations develop.
Authorities urge students to be aware of their surroundings, adding that they should try to walk in pairs. They also say police escorts are available for any students who may feel uncomfortable.
Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call NOVA Police at 703-764-5000.
