Skip to content
Campus Alert Archive
Liberty

Two Victims, One Suspect Identified: Liberty's Runk and Pratt Garage Timely Warning

VAsexual assaulttimely warninghigh confidence
Under Investigation

On December 11, 2024, Liberty University issued a Clery timely warning describing two November 2024 incidents in which a male student allegedly digitally penetrated one victim in the Runk and Pratt Garage and, separately, drugged and fondled an incapacitated victim. The alert came nine months after Liberty paid a $14 million Clery Act fine — the largest in the law's history — for systemic failures including underreporting of crimes from 2016-2023.

Alerts
1
Response
Killed
Injured
Institution
Liberty University
Private Masters · VA
~100,000 studentsLU Alert Timely Warning Notification
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Timely Warning Notification Liberty University has become aware of two separate instances where the crimes of Rape, Aggravated Assault, and Fondling had occurred. It was reported that the two instances took place in November where a male student engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior. During the first incident, the victim indicated that they were digitally penetrated in the Runk and Pratt Garage. During the second incident, the victim indicated that they were drugged, rendering them unconscious. While incapacitated, the suspect touched the victim's breasts and vaginal area without consent. The suspect has been identified, and Liberty University has implemented interim measures to remove the individual from campus to ensure the safety of the community. This Timely Warning Notification is being issued in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
Liberty's December 2024 alert came nine months after the [$14 million Clery Act fine](https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2024/march/liberty-university-fined-campus-safety-sexual-assault.html) — the largest in Clery history — for documented underreporting from 2016-2023
Aggregating two separate incidents into a single timely warning is permitted under Clery when they share a common suspect — the 'continuing threat' rationale here is single-suspect-driven
The clinical-anatomical specificity ('digitally penetrated,' 'touched the victim's breasts and vaginal area without consent') is unusual in Clery alerts and follows the FBI UCR definitions for Rape and Fondling
'Interim measures to remove the individual from campus' references Title IX interim restrictions — commingling Clery and Title IX disclosures the way Augsburg does, but rare among private peers
Runk and Pratt Garage is a [parking structure on Liberty's campus](https://www.liberty.edu/police/) — disclosing the building name is unusually specific given Liberty's history of suppressing location detail
Rape + Aggravated Assault + Fondling triple-classification is FBI UCR-compliant: aggravated assault here likely refers to the drugging-into-unconsciousness as a separate offense from the sexual touching
Context

Background

Liberty University is a private evangelical institution in Lynchburg, Virginia whose handling of sexual-assault reports was the subject of a March 2022 ProPublica investigation titled 'The Liberty Way.' In March 2024 the U.S. Department of Education imposed a $14 million Clery Act fine — the largest in the law's history — for findings including under-reporting 93% of campus crimes from 2016-2023, destroyed evidence, and threats to punish students who reported being raped. The December 2024 Runk and Pratt Garage timely warning is among the most clinically detailed sexual-assault Clery alerts Liberty has ever issued — likely a direct response to the 2024 federal findings and a signal of changed institutional practice. The aggregation of two separate November incidents into a single December alert reflects both the single-suspect 'continuing threat' rationale and a possible delay in initial reporting.
Analysis

Key Findings

Issued nine months after Liberty's record $14M Clery Act fine — context for the alert's unusual transparency
Aggregates two separate November incidents under a single-suspect 'continuing threat' rationale
Clinically anatomical language ('digitally penetrated,' 'breasts and vaginal area') follows FBI UCR definitions
Discloses Title IX interim measures within the Clery alert — rare commingling among private peers
Runk and Pratt Garage location disclosure is unusually specific given Liberty's pre-fine suppression history
Triple FBI UCR classification (Rape + Aggravated Assault + Fondling) reflects drugging-into-unconsciousness analyzed as separate aggravated assault
Outcome
Suspect identified by Liberty; interim measures imposed to remove the individual from campus.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
  2. News
  3. News
  4. News
  5. News
Tags
sexual-assaultrapefondlingdrug-facilitatedtimely-warningprivate-mastersevangelicalclery-act-finepost-fine-complianceparking-garageUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion