{
  "id": "2024-02-09-penn-state-altoona-sex-offense-stalking-vawa",
  "slug": "penn-state-altoona-sex-offense-stalking-vawa-2024-02-09",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Pennsylvania State University, Altoona",
    "shortName": "Penn State Altoona",
    "state": "PA",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "PSUAlert",
    "alertPlatform": "Rave Mobile Safety",
    "enrollment": 3000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-02-09",
    "endDate": "2024-02-11",
    "type": "stalking",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "headline": "Timely warning for reported stalking and a sex offense in the residence halls",
    "headlinePublic": "Timely warning for reported stalking and a sex offense in the residence halls",
    "summary": "Between February 9 and February 11, 2024, [Penn State Altoona](https://altoona.psu.edu/) University Police received a report of stalking and a sex offense involving a known person in the [Residence Halls complex](https://timelywarnings.psu.edu/altoona/24al00098). The case (24AL00098) is one of the rare Penn State warnings simultaneously classified under two VAWA categories ('Sex Offense - Known' and 'Stalking - VAWA') and is housed in [Penn State's centralized timely-warning archive](https://timelywarnings.psu.edu/).",
    "outcome": "Investigation continued. The dual classification (sex offense + stalking) reflects the cumulative course-of-conduct nature of the offense. The Residence Halls complex sits on the northeastern edge of campus adjacent to Nittany Drive and Gwin Road.",
    "resolution": "under-investigation"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Issued February 20, 2024, four days after University Police received the report at 4:09 p.m. on February 16, 2024; the reported stalking occurred between February 9 and February 11, 2024, in the Residence Halls complex",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Sex Offense - Known, Stalking - VAWA has occurred at Altoona\n\nCase Number: 24AL00098\n\nUniversity Police received a report of a sex offense and stalking. The reported stalking occurred between 12:00 a.m. on February 9th and 11:59 p.m. on February 11, 2024, in the Altoona campus Residence Halls complex. The Residence Halls complex is in the northeastern portion of campus, adjacent to Nittany Drive and Gwin Road.\n\nIt can be assumed that conditions continue to exist that may pose a threat to members and guests of the University community.\n\nThis warning is being issued in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA).\n\nIt is the duty of the administration to warn of possible 'dangerous conditions' on or near the campus, and at affiliate organizations off campus; an 'affirmative duty' exists to warn persons associated with the University of possible peril at the hands of some third party or parties.\n\nMembers of the campus community are urged to use caution. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Penn State University Police at (814) 949-5222.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://timelywarnings.psu.edu/altoona/24al00098",
      "sourceDescription": "Penn State Timely Warnings (timelywarnings.psu.edu), Altoona campus, case 24AL00098",
      "annotations": [
        "This is a rare dual-classification VAWA warning ('Sex Offense - Known' AND 'Stalking - VAWA'), most Penn State warnings carry a single category",
        "The three-day incident window (Feb 9 12:00 AM EST through Feb 11 11:59 PM EST) reflects stalking's course-of-conduct nature spanning multiple distinct events",
        "The 'Known' designation in the sex-offense category indicates the suspect was known to the victim, common in residence-hall sex-offense and stalking cases",
        "Penn State Altoona is a ~3,000-student commonwealth-system campus in Altoona, PA, the largest commonwealth campus after University Park",
        "The unusual inclusion of 'duty of the administration' / 'affirmative duty' language traces directly to Pennsylvania case law on universities' duty to warn, atypical for routine Penn State warnings, suggesting careful Clery officer drafting given the case's complexity",
        "Residence-hall location is significant, the warning specifies the Residence Halls complex in the northeastern portion of campus, adjacent to Nittany Drive and Gwin Road",
        "Penn State's standardized continuing-threat language ('It can be assumed that conditions continue to exist') is the bright-line trigger across all 24 campuses"
      ],
      "characterCount": 1195
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Penn State Altoona](https://altoona.psu.edu/) is a four-year branch campus of [Pennsylvania State University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_State_University) in [Altoona, Pennsylvania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altoona,_Pennsylvania), with approximately 3,000 students. This February 2024 dual-classification VAWA warning is unusual within Penn State's [centralized timely-warning archive](https://timelywarnings.psu.edu/altoona/24al00098): most warnings cite a single Clery category, but this one combines 'Sex Offense - Known' with 'Stalking - VAWA' to capture the cumulative course-of-conduct over three days in the Residence Halls complex. The warning also includes language about the university's 'affirmative duty' to warn, a phrasing that traces back to Pennsylvania case law on institutional duty-to-warn doctrine, suggesting a careful Clery officer drafting in a case of unusual legal complexity. Per [Daily Collegian reporting](https://www.psucollegian.com/features/what-to-know-about-timely-warnings/article_339dbda8-70b7-11ef-8a9a-3b91c908dec2.html), Penn State's 24-campus centralized archive is a transparency model, but stalking-specific warnings remain rare. Stalking is a [VAWA-covered Clery crime](https://www.justice.gov/ovw/violence-against-women-reauthorization-act-2013) constituted by a course of conduct rather than a discrete event, making the multi-day incident window typical of stalking despite being rare for sex-offense reporting.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Rare dual-classification: 'Sex Offense - Known' AND 'Stalking - VAWA' in a single warning, most Penn State warnings carry one category",
    "Three-day incident window (Feb 9 - Feb 11, 2024) reflects stalking's course-of-conduct nature",
    "Inclusion of 'affirmative duty' language reflects Pennsylvania case law on institutional duty-to-warn, unusual for routine Penn State warnings",
    "Residence-hall location specifies the Residence Halls complex's exact campus location, including adjacent street names",
    "Penn State Altoona is the largest commonwealth campus after University Park (~3,000 students)"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Penn State Altoona Timely Warning: Sex Offense Known, Stalking VAWA (case 24AL00098)",
      "url": "https://timelywarnings.psu.edu/altoona/24al00098",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Penn State Timely Warnings centralized archive",
      "url": "https://timelywarnings.psu.edu/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "What to know about timely warnings (Daily Collegian)",
      "url": "https://www.psucollegian.com/features/what-to-know-about-timely-warnings/article_339dbda8-70b7-11ef-8a9a-3b91c908dec2.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Penn State Altoona 2025 Annual Security Report",
      "url": "https://www.police.psu.edu/sites/police/files/2025-09/penn-state-altoona-2025.pdf",
      "type": "clery-asr"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "stalking",
    "sex-offense",
    "vawa",
    "timely-warning",
    "dual-classification",
    "branch-campus",
    "public-r1",
    "penn-state",
    "altoona",
    "residence-hall",
    "affirmative-duty"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}