ATHENS, Ga. — Athens police are investigating a report of sexual battery involving a University of Georgia student.
Police said they have a person of interest in the case.
A female student told officers she lost consciousness and woke up in the dark on cardboard boxes in an area near a bar on College Avenue.
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She said she did not remember anything after getting drinks with friends at a bar on Washington Street.
When she woke, she said she saw a homeless man nearby touching himself and muttering obscenities.
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The student told law enforcement she left the area after realizing her skirt was inside out and her phone, purse, identification, debit card and lip gloss were missing.
Two older homeless men walked her home as the sun began to rise. The student stated she did not recall any sexual acts taking place but was not sure.
Police later found cardboard boxes flattened on the ground to resemble a bed alongside wood chips matching the student’s description. On the opposite side of the landing, police found a pile of personal belongings.
The University of Georgia released a statement Monday saying university officials are working directly with the student and her family to provide support.
“There is no higher priority than the safety and security of our students,” the university said.
UGA noted that because the incident happened in downtown Athens, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department is handling the investigation.
The university said it sent a community notification Saturday alerting students, faculty and staff to the incident and reminding them about personal safety. UGA also pointed to more than $30 million it says it has invested in campus safety and security enhancements over the past decade, including its UGA Ride Smart partnership with Lyft.
A man told investigators he had seen a woman matching the student’s description speaking with three or four men in front of City Hall between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.
Someone later discovered the student’s missing phone resting on a small wall near a police van on Washington Street and turned it over to an officer.
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