{ "id": "2025-08-16-university-of-tennessee-at-chattanooga-off-campus-drink-spiking", "slug": "university-of-tennessee-at-chattanooga-off-campus-drink-spiking-2025-08-16", "institution": { "name": "University of Tennessee at Chattanooga", "shortName": "UTC", "state": "TN", "type": "public-r2", "alertSystemName": "UTC-Alert", "enrollment": 11400 }, "incident": { "date": "2025-08-16", "type": "aggravated-assault", "cleryCategory": "advisory", "resolution": "under-investigation", "headline": "Possible drink spiking after an off-campus party", "headlinePublic": "Possible drink spiking after an off-campus party", "summary": "Police [reported](https://www.utc.edu/finance-and-administration/department-of-public-safety/alerts-status) a possible drink spiking. The student last recalled an off-campus party and then sought emergency-room care.", "outcome": "A separate off-campus victim's suspect was taken into custody by city police. The UTC case remained under investigation." }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestamp": "2025-08-16T11:00:00-04:00", "channel": "website", "verbatimText": "UTC Community:\n\nOn Saturday, August 16, 2025, at approximately 1:59 AM, the UTC Police Department received a report of a possible Aggravated Assault by Poisoning (commonly referred to as “drink spiking”). The victim, a UTC student, last recalled being at a party that occurred at an off-campus location. The victim sought medical attention at a local emergency room.\n\nOvernight, the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) reported similar incidents at one or more off-campus locations. The victim in one of the reported incidents, an unaffiliated person, last recalled being at Shady’s Bar (1402 Cemetery Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37408). The victim reported having been drugged and assaulted. A suspect was quickly identified and taken into custody by CPD.\n\nThese crimes are actively under investigation by the Chattanooga Police Department and UTC Police Department. If you have any information about these incidents, please call the UTC Police Department at (423) 425-HELP/4357.\n\nWhat is Drink Spiking?\n\nDrink spiking is when an individual, non-consensually and discretely, adds alcohol or drugs (legal or illegal) to your drink without your knowledge. This is often done with the intent of assaulting or otherwise harming the victim. It is against the law and University policy.\n\nIf your drink is spiked, please remember that this is not your fault. You are the only one who should get to make choices related to your body.\n\nSafety Tips:\n\nDrink Spiking\n\nAvoid leaving your drink unattended.\n\nKeep your drink in your hand, if possible.\n\nIf you lose track of a drink, dump it out and get a fresh one.\n\nDo not accept a drink from anyone you don’t know and trust.\n\nAvoid situations where people are sharing drinks.\n\nGeneral\n\nBe alert and aware of your surroundings.\n\nFollow your instincts. Safety is the priority.\n\nIf you feel you are in danger, take action. Move away from the threat, cross the street, increase your pace, or run to safety.\nReport all suspicious activity (persons, vehicles, and activities), even if you are not directly threatened, to the UTC Police Department at (423) 425-HELP/4357.\n\nIf you or someone you know is a victim of a crime, we encourage you to report the incident as soon as possible. This allows for appropriate measures to be taken for your safety and the safety of others.\n\nReporting & Resources:\n\nReport a crime on-campus\n\nFrom any cellular or off-campus telephone, call (423) 425-HELP/4357.\n\nFrom any on-campus telephone, dial 911.\n\nPress the “HELP” button at any Blue Light Call Box or Emergency Call Box.\n\nReport a crime off-campus\n\nFrom any telephone, dial 911.\n\nUTC Resources\n\nUTCares: (423) 425-CARE/2273.\n\nCounseling Center: (423) 425-4438.\n\nOffice of the Dean of Students: (423) 425-4761\n\nOffice of Student Outreach & Support: (423) 425-2299.\n\nSurvivor Advocacy Services: (423) 425-5648.\n\nOffice of Title IX Compliance / Title IX Coordinator: (423) 425-4255.\n\nChattanooga / Hamilton County Resources\n\nChattanooga Police Department – Victim Services: (423) 643-5351.\n\nDistrict Attorney’s Office for the 11th Judicial District – Victim/Witness Coordinator: (423) 209-7400.\n\nPartnership for Families, Children, and Adults – Rape Crisis Center: (423) 755-2700.\n\nMessage issued on 8/16/2025 at 11:00 AM", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "confidence": "high", "sourceUrl": "https://www.utc.edu/finance-and-administration/department-of-public-safety/alerts-status", "sourceDescription": "UTC-ALERT status archive", "annotations": [ "Dual fetch of the alerts-status page on 2026-10-12. After scripts and Cloudflare email hashes are removed, both copies of this message match.", "The issued line gives the minute. Seconds are not in that line.", "3233 characters. sha256 44b70de4686684475f06b3436673b2ca198c86597047d8af3464628465a87e50.", "Distinct incident from 2025-08-17-university-of-tennessee-at-chattanooga-fraternity-party-sexual-assault: that case is the next morning's sexual-assault warning.", "SPN not attempted at 10:15Z" ], "characterCount": 3233 } ], "context": "One public-safety advisory on the UTC-ALERT status archive. A different crime the next morning is 2025-08-17-university-of-tennessee-at-chattanooga-fraternity-party-sexual-assault.", "keyFindings": [ "The student sought emergency-room care after an off-campus party.", "The message says to avoid leaving a drink unattended." ], "sources": [ { "title": "UTC-ALERT status archive", "url": "https://www.utc.edu/finance-and-administration/department-of-public-safety/alerts-status", "type": "official-archive", "accessDate": "2026-10-12", "archiveUrl": null, "archiveNotes": "SPN not attempted at 10:15Z" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "public-r2", "tennessee", "aggravated-assault" ], "dateAdded": "2026-10-12", "lastUpdated": "2026-10-12", "addedBy": "ingestion" }