Two sexual assaults which occurred locally within the past three weeks are under investigation, DeKalb Police Sgt. Charles Kross said Friday.

Although rumors about a string of rapes have been circulating on Greek Row, Kross confirmed only two assaults were reported since mid-October.

Kross said one assault occurred Oct. 13 near Lincolnshire West Apartments which involved a man wearing a ski mask. “That’s under investigation,” he said.

A DeKalb County Crime Stoppers press release stated one incident occurred during the afternoon of Oct. 13. “A woman was assaulted in the woods behind the apartments at 1300 W. Lincoln Hwy. The suspect is described as male, white, 6-feet-1-inch, medium build wearing a gray sweatshirt and black ski mask,” the release stated.

A $1,000 reward is being offered by Crime Stoppers for information leading to the arrest of the assailant.

Kross said, “Anything we can get might help solve another case. The same person might be doing it to the other (reported) victims.”

e said the other incident occurred Oct. 25 in a female’s apartment on Greek Row.

“There is no string of rapes,” he said. “There is nothing to indicate there have been more (sexual assaults) than usual.” He said there were 29 reported cases in 1986 and 26 in 1985.

“There are rapists and murderers in DeKalb and fortunately we arrest most of them,” Kross said.

Donna Lalley, Kishwaukee Hospital clinical nurse specialist, said a sexual assault victim treated Oct. 13 was the only case within the past three weeks she was able to find in the log book.

owever, she said cases are coded differently depending on the type of treatment needed and what the patient alleges to have happened. Therefore, there might have been other sexual assault victims seen by the hospital who were not listed as such because no indication of an assault had been given right away, she said.

For example, if a person complains of having a broken arm and later admits to having been assaulted, the patient still is listed as having a broken arm.

University Health Service Director Rosemary Lane said four alleged victims have been treated by the health center since the beginning of September. She did not know the exact dates of the treatments.

One Panhellenic council representative said Sunday her friend also was assaulted in Greek Row. The representative said her friend did not report the incident because her friend told her the assailant said he would return and kill the girl.

Although the representative did not know the details of the incident, she said her friend said the male assailant was wearing a blue scarf around his face.

A rumor about a Nov. 4 rape on Greek Row involves a suspect fitting the same description as the one from the Oct. 13 incident. The Nov. 4 suspect also was reportedly carrying a gun. However, Kross said no report of such an incident has been made.

Kross said DeKalb Police have received several inquiries from “concerned family and friends” of NIU students. “We must have gotten eight calls today.”

e said other service and police agencies in the area reported receiving several calls about sexual assault. Kross would not name the agencies.

Due to the rash of rumors, Panhel urged sororities to post signs warning house members to walk with a companion, even during the day.

Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority also is having a police officer give tips about how to avoid being assaulted and what to do in the event that such an incident should occur.

The Panhel representative said the men on Greek Row have been very supportive and have offered to escort girls when needed. She said, “We’re all sticking together.”

She said girls in her house do not even walk to their cars alone or at least without having someone watch from the window.

The Panhel representative said she has had to rearrange her lifestyle because of the rumors. She said she has a double major and often studies alone. She said she is no longer able to do this or go jogging at night as she normally does because she is afraid.