Dan Nadler, vice president for Student Affairs, authorized University Police Chief Adam Due to post fliers Friday to alert the campus about an alleged assault that happened Thursday in Charleston.

“I instructed Chief Due to post fliers throughout our campus and to list the information on the UPD web page as a precautionary measure,” Nadler said.

No EIU Emergency Notification e-mails were sent out.

“E-mail alerts would be sent if an incident occurred on-campus, adjacent to our campus or in an area heavily populated by our students, faculty and staff,” Nadler said.

The EIU Alert text messages were not sent out because the incident was not deemed a life threatening situation, Nadler said.

The flier said a female was allegedly physically assaulted in the 900 block of 17th Street at about 2:45 p.m. Thursday.

The suspect tried to force the woman into a maroon or burgundy “old-style” van with a knife. The fliers, labeled “Timely Warning,” said the suspect in the alleged crime is a black male, about 40 years old and 6 feet, 2 inches tall.

The suspect had short hair with “possible gray near his sideburns” and some facial hair. The flier said the interior of the van was gray and the second row seat was removed, and one of the wheels on the passenger side of the vehicle “seemed different.”

UPD officer Robert Ogden said he received noticed of the assault around 4 p.m. Friday. Due called Odgen in around 6 p.m. Friday to post the fliers.

“We posted them (the fliers) on all of the residence halls, and as many bulletin boards as we could,” Ogden said.

Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call the Coles County non-emergency number, 345-0060.

Katie Anderson can be reached at 581-7942 or at kfanderson@eiu.edu.