Just days after announcing an investigation into three reported sexual assaults that occurred in town between April and August, Davis police disclosed receiving seven additional reports from women who say they were drugged while at local bars or parties.
Of those seven, three of the women said the incidents resulted in sexual assaults, Deputy Police Chief Paul Doroshov said Monday.
“We’re doing an active investigation, and we’ve had some tips that we’ve been pursuing,” Doroshov said of the alleged druggings, one of which occurred on Picnic Day in April, while the others happened in June and July.
Where exactly they took place is hard to pinpoint, Doroshov added, as some of the women consumed drinks at multiple locations, including several bars, in one case a fraternity house and in another instance a private residence.
However, the women “were adamant that they did not drink enough” to experience the symptoms that they did, Doroshov said.
Drink spiking has been linked to crimes such as sexual assault and robbery, occurring once the victim’s defenses are compromised.
Symptoms can include: feeling drunk, woozy or drowsy; feeling drunker than expected; mental confusion; hallucinations; speech difficulties such as slurring; memory loss; loss of inhibitions; nausea and vomiting; seizures; loss of consciousness; an unusually long hangover; or a severe hangover when you’ve had little or no alcohol to drink.
The reports come several months after another three women told police they believed their drinks were tampered with at two downtown establishments. Those women, all in their 20s, said they became ill after consuming the alcohol.
Two of the earlier incidents occurred April 17 and May 1 at G Street Wunderbar, 228 G St., the third on May 3 at Bistro 33, 226 F St. Police heightened their presence around downtown bars and restaurants following the reports, and although suspects have been identified, Doroshov said the cases remain under investigation.
Police also will be reaching out to UC Davis officials, encouraging them to “make this a topic of conversation” to students returning to town for the fall quarter, Doroshov said. The subject also will be discussed at the regular fall meeting between police and local bar owners and managers.
While the rash of reports might seem to indicate an uptick in such activity, Doroshov said that remains unclear at this point.
Doroshov said publicity surrounding the earlier reports may have raised awareness in the community, “so you have more people than normal coming forward” that might have otherwise not filed reports.
As they did back in May, police offer several suggestions for bar patrons to protect themselves from being drugged:
* Use the buddy system when going out on the town. In the recent Davis cases, the victims’ friends were instrumental in getting them to a safe place once they became ill, Doroshov said.
* Do not leave drinks unattended or accept a drink from someone you don’t know or trust.
* If you believe you’ve consumed a drink that’s been tampered with, alert bar staff immediately, and “definitely seek some kind of treatment,” Doroshov said.
Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the sexual-assault reports filed last week, the most recent allegedly occurring at 4:45 p.m. Aug. 6 at at Mace Ranch Park.
“The victim stated she walked by an unknown male subject and felt like he grabbed her shorts,” Doroshov told The Enterprise last week. The man was described as a white male adult, about 5-foot-9 with a heavy build and wavy hair, wearing a plain T-shirt and light-blue shorts.
Also last week, a woman reported being abducted near Arroyo Park on July 15.
According to Doroshov, the woman said the unknown suspect grabbed her in the Imperial Avenue area, bound her hands and placed her in a vehicle, then drove her to an unknown rural location and sexually assaulted her. Afterward, he drove her back to the park and released her.
The woman, who sought medical attention shortly after the incident but first spoke to investigators on Wednesday, described her assailant as a white male adult in his early 30s, about 5-foot-10 with a medium build and dark short hair.
Police also received a third-party report this week of an alleged sexual assault that occurred in April in the parking lot of the Westlake Plaza shopping center on Lake Boulevard. In that case, in which no further details were given, the suspect was described as a white male adult, about 6 feet tall, with a heavy build.
Investigators have not concluded whether any of the cases are related, but are exploring that possibility, Doroshov said. Anyone with information about these events is asked to contact the Davis Police Department’s investigations unit at 530-747-5400.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene