Williams Rape Victim Won't Aid Police

Almost one month after the alleged rape of a Williams College student, a police investigation of the incident was suspended this week because of the victim's refusal to cooperate with authorities.

The rape allegedly occurred on the morning of January 14 when a masked assailant entered a freshman dormitory and raped a woman student at knifepoint. But with the victim's unwillingness to tell police details of the attack, law enforcement officials said that they cannot pursue the investigation, whose integrity relies on her account.

"The victim has refused to cooperate," said Fred Lantz, spokesman for the Berkshire County District Attorney's office.

"We have no concrete evidence and she's unwilling to testify," said Joseph Zoito, Williamstown Chief of Police. Zoito said he thought the media exposure that would accompany a full-blown investigation is keeping the victim from cooperating with police.

Police and college officials met with the woman Wednesday afternoon, and she told them she did not want them to continue the investigation, Lantz said.

"She does not want to go to court even if the suspect is found," he said.

But despite the decision of the district attorney's office to put the case on hold, "Williams will continue with its own investigation and will give any new information to the police," said James Kolesar, the college's director of public information.

When asked to elaborate on the college's own investigation, Kolesar said it is "inappropriate for us to give specific details."

If new evidence is found or if the victim changes her mind, the District Attorney's office will again investigate the case actively, Lantz said.

"Give it a little time and she might change her mind," Zoito said. "We don't know if she knows the assailant or not. She says he had a mask on."

The Berkshire Eagle newspaper has reported that the victim may be withholding physical evidence which could identify the suspect. It is unclear what physical evidence of the alleged rape is known to investigators.

The rape has deeply unsettled the quiet college community. "People were really shocked because there is a general sense of security here," said John McDermott, editor in-chief of the Williams Record, the campus student newspaper.

"A lot of people leave their doors unlocked," he said. The victim's room was unlatched at the time of the attack.

The college escort service that ensures students' late night safety has received more calls than usual since the alleged rape, said Eliza Kent, president of the college Feminist Alliance. The Feminist Alliance has held a silent vigil in which students walked around campus carrying candles, she said.

"I know it's on my mind, and when I talk to other people, I find out that it's on their minds too," she said.

The Alliance, along with college administrators, plans to organize a panel discussion on rape, focusing on date rape, even though the alleged January incident was not a date rape.

But some students at Williams disapprove of the role the Feminist Alliance is taking.

"The Feminist Alliance has used the rape as a stepping stone to get a lot of publicity and show that they think women are treated badly," said Mark Schein, a Williams junior. "The majority of students have just viewed [the alleged rape] as something that happens ."

Some members of the Alliance are deeply sympathetic with the victim, but others expressed frustration that she is not aiding police in their investigation, Kent said.

During the week before the alleged rape, the victim received "several sexually explicit and threatening phone calls," wrote Dean of the College Stephen Fix a letter distributed to students.