Campus Alert Archive
MSU

Sexual assault report, May 8, 2024

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Confirmed Threat

Just after 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, Montana State University Police received a report of a sexual assault that had occurred outside a residential building within MSU's University Student Apartments. An unknown male wearing all black grabbed and groped the victim before fleeing on foot. MSU issued a Clery timely warning describing the suspect and asking the community to call Bozeman Police Detective Sergeant Joseph Swanson or Crimestoppers. The suspect was later identified, trespassed from campus, and cited for assault and attempted surreptitious observation.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
Montana State University
Public R1 · MT
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~17,000 studentsEverbridgeMSU Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how MSU says it will use MSU Alert: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatim2095 chars
Timely Warning: Sexual Assault This Timely Warning is being issued in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). The purpose is to provide preventative information to the campus community to aid members from becoming the victim of a similar crime. Earlier today, Montana State University Police received a report of sexual assault that occurred outside of a residential building within University Student Apartments on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m. Though limited information is available, the unknown suspect was said to be a male wearing all black and fled on foot after grabbing and groping the victim. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact University Police at (406) 994-2121. Montana State University’s top priority is the safety and wellbeing of all members of the campus community, and we encourage you to consider the following: • Sexual assault is never the fault of the survivor. Responsibility lies with the perpetrator. No one deserves, asks for, or provokes sexual assault. • If you are uncomfortable walking alone call MSU Police for a Safety Escort at 406-994-2121. • Consider using the Friend Walk feature in the SafeCats app that allows users to share their location with someone they trust, who can then watch to make sure they arrive at their destination safely. • The MSU VOICE Center offers resources and advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. Advocates can be reached 24/7 via call or text at 406.944.7069. The Office of Institutional Equity and MSU VOICE Center provide resources and reporting options for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Reports to law enforcement can be made anonymously using the Silent Witness program, accessible through the SafeCats app, or by emailing silentwitness@montana.edu. MSU’s Office of Counseling Psychological Services can also provide resources and services for victims of relationship violence or stalking.
Verify this quote
MSU Police Crime Alerts archive — Timely Warning Sexual Assault (May 2024)montana.edufind archived copies
Issued via the MSU Alert (Everbridge) emergency-notification platform and posted to the MSU University Police Crime Alerts page
The May 8 timing (eight days after MSU's end-of-spring-semester finals) fell during a quieter campus period when many students had returned home, illustrating that Clery warnings continue during summer Clery geography
University Student Apartments is MSU's primary undergraduate and graduate family-housing complex on the southeast side of the Bozeman campus; the residential location placed the incident squarely within MSU's Clery geography
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle later reported the suspect had been identified, trespassed from campus, and cited for both assault and a separate count of surreptitious observation
MSU and Bozeman Police jurisdictionally split coverage: MSU Police investigated the on-campus elements; Bozeman PD's Detective Division led the criminal investigation
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Timely Warning: Sexual Assault This Timely Warning is being issued in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). The purpose is to provide preventative information to the campus community to aid members from becoming the victim of a similar crime. Earlier today, Montana State University Police received a report of sexual assault that occurred outside of a residential building within University Student Apartments on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m. Though limited information is available, the unknown suspect was said to be a male wearing all black and fled on foot after grabbing and groping the victim. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact University Police at (406) 994-2121. Montana State University’s top priority is the safety and wellbeing of all members of the campus community, and we encourage you to consider the following: • Sexual assault is never the fault of the survivor. Responsibility lies with the perpetrator. No one deserves, asks for, or provokes sexual assault. • If you are uncomfortable walking alone call MSU Police for a Safety Escort at 406-994-2121. • Consider using the Friend Walk feature in the SafeCats app that allows users to share their location with someone they trust, who can then watch to make sure they arrive at their destination safely. • The MSU VOICE Center offers resources and advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. Advocates can be reached 24/7 via call or text at 406.944.7069. The Office of Institutional Equity and MSU VOICE Center provide resources and reporting options for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Reports to law enforcement can be made anonymously using the Silent Witness program, accessible through the SafeCats app, or by emailing silentwitness@montana.edu. MSU’s Office of Counseling Psychological Services can also provide resources and services for victims of relationship violence or stalking.

  • Sourcepresent24/25

    Final assessment

    Nearly all reads agree the message names Montana State University Police as the issuing agency, with only one outlier finding no signature.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Issued in compliance with Clery, referencing "Montana State University Police."
    2. present: Identifies Montana State University Police as the issuer.
    3. present: Issued by Montana State University Police, explicitly named
    4. present: identifies Montana State University Police as issuer of the Timely Warning
    5. absent: No agency or branded signature named as sender in the text.
    6. present: 'Montana State University Police received a report' identifies issuer
    7. present: 'Montana State University Police' named
    8. present: Identifies Montana State University Police as issuer.
    9. present: Issued by 'Montana State University Police'.
    10. present: 'Montana State University Police' named.
    11. present: Identifies Montana State University Police as issuer.
    12. present: Issued as an MSU Police Timely Warning under the Clery Act.
    13. present: 'Montana State University Police' identified as issuer.
    14. present: Names Montana State University Police as receiving/issuing agency.
    15. present: 'Montana State University Police' identified as issuer.
    16. present: 'Montana State University Police' identified as issuer.
    17. present: 'Montana State University Police' named as issuer.
    18. present: 'Montana State University Police' named
    19. present: 'Montana State University Police' named
    20. present: Identifies Montana State University Police as issuer.
    21. present: Issued in compliance with Clery Act, names Montana State University Police
    22. present: 'Montana State University Police' named
    23. present: Montana State University Police named.
    24. present: 'Montana State University Police' named as issuing authority.
    25. present: Issued by 'Montana State University Police' as a Timely Warning.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous agreement that 'sexual assault' is named as the specific offense.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: States "sexual assault" as the specific crime.
    2. present: Names 'sexual assault' as the specific crime.
    3. present: Names sexual assault as the reported crime
    4. present: names sexual assault specifically
    5. present: States sexual assault report.
    6. present: 'Sexual Assault'
    7. present: 'sexual assault'
    8. present: States a report of 'sexual assault'.
    9. present: Names 'sexual assault' as the crime.
    10. present: Names sexual assault specifically.
    11. present: Names sexual assault specifically.
    12. present: Names sexual assault as the offense.
    13. present: 'Sexual assault' named specifically.
    14. present: 'sexual assault' names the offense.
    15. present: 'report of sexual assault' names the offense.
    16. present: 'sexual assault' names the specific offense.
    17. present: Sexual assault named specifically.
    18. present: 'sexual assault' named specifically
    19. present: 'sexual assault'
    20. present: States 'sexual assault'.
    21. present: 'sexual assault' named specifically
    22. present: 'sexual assault' named
    23. present: Sexual assault specified.
    24. present: 'Sexual Assault' names the specific hazard.
    25. present: Names sexual assault as the offense.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous agreement that 'University Student Apartments' is given as a specific location.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names "University Student Apartments."
    2. present: Names University Student Apartments as the location.
    3. present: 'outside of a residential building within University Student Apartments' given
    4. present: names University Student Apartments
    5. present: Names University Student Apartments.
    6. present: 'outside of a residential building within University Student Apartments'
    7. present: 'University Student Apartments'
    8. present: Names 'University Student Apartments'.
    9. present: 'University Student Apartments' named.
    10. present: 'University Student Apartments' given.
    11. present: Names University Student Apartments.
    12. present: Names outside a residential building within University Student Apartments.
    13. present: 'University Student Apartments' named.
    14. present: 'outside of a residential building within University Student Apartments'.
    15. present: 'University Student Apartments' given.
    16. present: 'University Student Apartments' named.
    17. present: 'University Student Apartments'.
    18. present: 'University Student Apartments' given
    19. present: 'outside of a residential building within University Student Apartments'
    20. present: Names University Student Apartments.
    21. present: 'University Student Apartments' named
    22. present: 'University Student Apartments'
    23. present: 'University Student Apartments'.
    24. present: 'University Student Apartments' given.
    25. present: Names 'University Student Apartments'.
  • Guidancepresent20/25

    Final assessment

    A clear majority credits the safety escort phone number and Friend Walk app feature as protective guidance, though a sizable minority calls these only generic prevention tips not tied to this specific threat.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Provides safety tips like using the Safety Escort and Friend Walk feature.
    2. present: Advises using the safety escort and Friend Walk feature.
    3. present: Safety tips like using Safety Escort, Friend Walk feature
    4. absent: only general prevention tips, no direct protective instruction for a current threat
    5. present: Advises calling for safety escort or using Friend Walk feature.
    6. present: 'call MSU Police for a Safety Escort'
    7. present: 'call MSU Police for a Safety Escort'
    8. present: Suggests calling for a safety escort and using the Friend Walk app feature.
    9. present: Suggests calling for a Safety Escort and using the Friend Walk feature.
    10. present: Safety tips like using Safety Escort, Friend Walk feature.
    11. absent: Only general safety tips, not direct protective action for ongoing threat.
    12. present: Suggests requesting a Safety Escort and using the Friend Walk feature.
    13. present: 'call MSU Police for a Safety Escort' gives protective action.
    14. absent: Only offers general safety tips and resources, no direct protective action for ongoing threat.
    15. absent: Only general prevention tips, not a direct protective instruction for this incident.
    16. present: 'If you are uncomfortable walking alone call MSU Police for a Safety Escort' is protective guidance.
    17. present: 'call MSU Police for a Safety Escort'.
    18. present: 'call MSU Police for a Safety Escort' and app suggestion
    19. absent: only general safety tips, not action for this specific ongoing threat
    20. present: Suggests using Friend Walk feature and calling for Safety Escort.
    21. present: Tips like calling for a Safety Escort, using Friend Walk feature
    22. present: 'call MSU Police for a Safety Escort'
    23. present: Tips like requesting safety escort, using Friend Walk feature.
    24. present: Tips like 'call MSU Police for a Safety Escort' and use of Friend Walk feature given.
    25. present: Advises using the Friend Walk feature and calling for a Safety Escort.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous agreement that the message gives a specific date and clock time, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: States "Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m."
    2. present: Gives 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    3. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.' given
    4. present: gives date 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    5. present: States Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.
    6. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    7. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    8. present: States 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    9. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    10. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.' given.
    11. present: Gives date Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.
    12. present: States 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    13. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.' given.
    14. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    15. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.' given.
    16. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.' given.
    17. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    18. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.' given
    19. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    20. present: Gives 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'.
    21. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.' given
    22. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    23. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
    24. present: 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.' given.
    25. present: States 'Wednesday, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m.'
  • Impactabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous agreement that no severity or consequence is stated beyond the bare description of grabbing and groping.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No statement of severity beyond describing the assault.
    2. absent: No statement of consequence or severity beyond describing the assault.
    3. absent: No stated consequence beyond describing the assault
    4. absent: no explicit statement of potential harm beyond describing the assault
    5. absent: No stated severity beyond describing the grabbing/groping.
    6. absent: No stated severity/consequence beyond naming the assault
    7. absent: No stated potential harm beyond describing the assault
    8. absent: No stated severity of harm beyond the description of the crime.
    9. absent: No stated severity beyond describing the assault.
    10. absent: No stated severity beyond describing the assault.
    11. absent: No stated severity beyond naming the crime.
    12. absent: No statement of potential harm beyond describing the assault.
    13. absent: No explicit statement of potential harm/severity beyond naming the crime.
    14. absent: No stated consequence beyond describing the assault occurred.
    15. absent: No stated consequence beyond describing the incident.
    16. absent: No stated severity beyond describing the grabbing and groping.
    17. absent: No stated consequence beyond naming the assault.
    18. absent: No stated severity beyond describing the assault type
    19. absent: no stated severity beyond describing the crime
    20. absent: No stated severity beyond describing the grabbing and groping.
    21. absent: No stated severity or physical harm consequence beyond 'grabbing and groping'
    22. absent: no stated severity or consequence described beyond the assault itself
    23. absent: No stated severity beyond describing the assault.
    24. absent: No stated consequence or severity beyond naming the assault.
    25. absent: No stated consequence beyond describing the grabbing/groping.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

On Wednesday afternoon, May 8, 2024, just after 5:00 p.m. MDT, Montana State University Police received a report that a male wearing all black had grabbed and groped a woman outside a residential building within MSU's University Student Apartments on the Bozeman campus, then fled on foot. MSU issued a Clery Timely Warning the same evening through the MSU Alert system, describing the suspect and asking the community to contact Bozeman Police Detective Sergeant Joseph Swanson or Crimestoppers with information. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported that the suspect was identified, trespassed from MSU campus, and cited for both assault and attempted surreptitious observation; Bozeman Police had a separate open case on the same individual and issued an additional citation for surreptitious observation. The case illustrates how MSU's Everbridge-based MSU Alert system can dispatch Clery warnings within hours of an incident, even during the slower late-spring period after final exams.
Analysis

Key Findings

MSU issued the timely warning within hours of the 5:00 p.m. incident, illustrating Everbridge-platform institutions' ability to push Clery alerts on a near-real-time schedule
The suspect was identified, trespassed, and criminally charged after the timely warning, suggesting the community-wide notice may have generated leads
Stranger sexual assault timely warnings (with suspect descriptions) remain the most common Clery sexual-assault disclosure type, even though acquaintance assaults are statistically more frequent
Two parallel investigations (MSU Police for the on-campus elements; Bozeman PD's Detective Division for the criminal case) reflect Montana's common shared-jurisdiction model for university-affiliated crimes
Outcome
Suspect was identified, trespassed from campus, and cited by Bozeman Police for assault and attempted surreptitious observation. Bozeman PD already had a separate open case on the same individual and issued an additional citation for surreptitious observation.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
    Crime Alerts (Montana State University Police)
    montana.edu
    archived copy
  2. News
    'Look out': Montana State University police issue 'timely' warnings about alleged drugging incidents (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
    bozemandailychronicle.com
    archived copy
  3. Official
    MSU Alert (Montana State University)
    montana.edu
    archived copy
  4. Official
    Prior Notification Incidents — MSU Alert
    montana.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Montana State University: Sexual assault report, May 8, 2024." Incident of May 8, 2024. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/msu-bozeman-student-apartments-sexual-assault-2024-05-08/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
sexual-assaulttimely-warningstranger-assaultmontanamsu-bozemanuniversity-student-apartmentseverbridgetrespassedpost-warning-identification
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion