Editor’s Note: This story includes mention of sexual violence.
A man was arrested Wednesday morning in connection with a sexual assault reportedly occurring in a parking garage near North Morton Street. Bloomington police located the man in Joliet, Illinois, and after being interviewed by detectives, he is now awaiting extradition to Monroe County, Indiana.
The man was identified as Andre J. Hardy, 27, and BPD preliminarily charged him with rape, criminal confinement and sexual battery.
According to a press release from BPD, a woman reported she was assaulted in a parking garage in the 200 block of North Morton Street just after 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1. The woman said she had entered the garage from an alleyway in the 200 block of West Sixth Street and had walked up the steps to the third floor to look for her vehicle. As she walked up a ramp toward the fourth floor, the woman noticed that a man appeared to be following her, according to the press release.
The woman said the man reportedly tackled her into a parking space between two parked vehicles, where he then reportedly sexually assaulted her, according to the press release. She began to yell for help and heard footsteps approaching. The suspect ran from the scene, then went down the steps and headed north across Seventh Street.
A list of resources is available here if you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment or abuse.
