While the investigation into the recently reported on-campus sexual assault of a female student continues, a Ewing township councilwoman has raised concerns about the timeliness of the alert issued by Campus Police to the Ewing Police Department.

According to a Sept. 2 article in The Times of Trenton, College officials reported that the young woman returned to her dorm room and called Campus Police within 15 minutes after the incident took place at approximately 12:50 a.m. on Aug. 31 near Forcina Hall. However, officials said, Ewing Police were notified nearly eight hours after the assault was reported, at approximately 9 a.m.

In the article, councilwoman Hilary Hyser is quoted as saying that township officials should have been notified sooner, so that police could have aided in the search for the suspect.

“I really hope the lack of information sharing with the (township) police department is a result of human error, and not a larger problem,” she said.

Officials at the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, now investigating the case with its Child Abuse/Sexual Assault Unit, reported that they were notified immediately by Campus Police. The Ewing Police department also defended Campus Police in The Times. Neither organization provided further comment to The Signal when contacted.

The Campus Police did not provide students with the contact number of the Ewing Police Department in its email alert, but college spokeswoman Stacey Schuster said it would soon be added.