The Hanover Police De-partment's investigation into the alleged sexual assault case that occurred in French Hall more than two months ago remains stalled pending the results of tests being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On Nov. 2, a woman living in French Hall reported that she awoke to find a male intruder on top of her.
According to Hanover Police Detective-Sergeant Frank Moran, investigators found several pieces of evidence that they sent to a Concord crime lab and to the FBI at the end of November.
The FBI is currently "swamped," Moran said, so they have not yet started their analysis of the evidence. He said the results would hopefully be sent back to Hanover in the next few weeks.
While investigators await the results of the evidence tests, Safety and Security has been taking measures to ensure reported incidents are handled more swiftly.
The victim of the Nov. 2 incident reported her complaint via BlitzMail to the private account of a Safety and Security officer, but the message was not discovered until almost five days later.
College Proctor Bob McEwen said that all officers' personal BlitzMail accounts are now checked on a frequent basis.
Safety and Security have also increased their foot and car patrols of the area around the River cluster, McEwen said.
He said it is vital that students report incidents or problems directly to the dispatcher.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton said that the idea of a "911 BlitzMail account," which he originally suggested himself, did not receive much support.
Pelton said the availability of a 911 BlitzMail account might prevent students from contacting Safety and Security in person or by telephone.
Moran said that fingerprints of the assailant that were lifted from the scene were sent to the FBI to see if they could be matched with fingerprint records on the Bureau's computers.
When a crime is committed in the state of New Hampshire, the FBI is automatically sent fingerprints, he said.
Investigators also sent material from the victim's bed to a Concord crime lab to be preserved and analyzed for body secretions and hair.
Once Hanover Police receives the results of the fingerprint analysis, investigators will attempt to pinpoint a suspect using other physical evidence they have, Moran said.
He also said that investigators will attempt to determine if any connection exists between the Nov. 2 incident and the March 1992 sexual assault that also occurred in French Hall.
In that instance, a freshman woman was sexually assaulted at knife point in her dormitory room when an assailant entered through her unlocked door. That incident remains unsolved.
