Recently in Carbondale, on Nov. 2, a sexual assault was reported and news of it circulated through the community, leading Carbondale Police Department to hold a community meeting on Nov. 4 to give the community information. 

Carbondale Police Chief Kirk Wilson, Lt. Bill Kirkland and Public Information Officer Anna Ramirez answered questions from the public at the meeting, giving as much information as they could about the perpetrator while also protecting the right to privacy of the victim. 

Last week, there was an update on the sexual assault case from Carbondale PD on Tuesday that offered tips on how to stay safe within the community. On Wednesday, a message from Wilson was sent out to the community, reiterating once more the importance of not spreading misinformation and the privacy of the survivor. 

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Sexual assault in 2023 as recorded by the Garfield County Sheriffs is the lowest it’s been in two years, where in 2020 there were 22 non-consensual sex offenses, jumping to 44 in 2021, but in 2022 was 38 and finally in 2023, was down to 30. 

In Rifle, a municipality of 10,563 people, there were 39 sex offenses in 2021, climbing to 48 in 2022 but once again coming down to 32 in 2023. This year, Rifle’s mid-year report states that out of 61 cases, 25 were a sexual offense. 

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In Glenwood Springs, the next largest municipality in Garfield County with 10,250 people, in 2021 reported 27 sexual assault cases, 22 in 2022, 32 in 2023 and so far up to November of this year, there have been 14. 

RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, provide national statistics on the issue:

• Every 68 seconds, another American is assaulted.
• One out of every six women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, where 14.8% are completed, 2.8% are attempted. 
• About 3% of men, one in every 33, have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. 

Sexual assault and rape are common issues faced by people around the world every day, in different circumstances, however, more than half of rapes at 55% happen in or around the survivor’s home. 

Garfield County Sheriffs’ report that out of all the sexual assaults they’ve recorded, 17.2% are committed by an unknown person. The rest were committed by family members, acquaintances or within an intimate relationship.

RAINN reports a similar statistic on a national scale at 19.5% of rapes being committed by a person the survivor doesn’t know. 

RAINN also reports that If someone has been sexually assaulted and they report it to the police, the first thing they can expect is privacy. 

A number of things go into the report of a sexual assault, like a description of the assault, indication of force, lack of consent and what that looked like, signs of premeditation and a timeline and victim response, RAINN says on their website. 

The victim;s response to trauma can include weight loss or gain or changes in routine, which can often take time for police to document for the investigation. 

These changes can be responses to the trauma:

• Depression
• Flashbacks
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Self-harm
• Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Substance Abuse
• Disassociation
• Panic attacks
• Eating disorders
• Pregnancy 
• Sleep disorders
• Suicide

The Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs lists that as the body tries to protect itself, the mind also wants to protect itself and survivors may feel shame and guilt, denying and minimizing the event, having their trust and safety altered and feeling isolated. 

Some people have somatic responses, like anesthesia, where they feel numb, or physical responses like pain, even if it shouldn’t physically hurt because of the passage of time, the Washington Coalition says on their website. Another somatic response can be ‘feeling dirty’ and bathing more than usual. Read more at wcsap.org/help/about-sexual-assault/effects-sexual-assault. 

Every survivor is different and the Carbondale PD have stated multiple times they’re doing their best in terms of working the case from Nov. 2, but not every sexual assault case is reported to the public, nor are the details of such cases. 

Some resources for people who have experienced sexual assault or in proximity to someone who has experienced it are:

• RAINN at rainn.org/?_ga=2.16531254.1631786412.1731691099-1354025119.1731691099. 
• The Aspen Hope Center at aspenhopecenter.org/. 
• Mind Springs Health at mindspringshealth.org/glenwood-springs/. 
• Advocate Safehouse Project at advocatesafehouseproject.org/. 

Or contact local police:

• Garfield County Sheriffs at 970-945-0453 or go to 107 8th St. in Glenwood Springs.
• Parachute Police Department at 970-665-1157 or go to 222 Grand Valley Way in Parachute.
• Rifle Police Department at 970-665-6500 or go to 201 18th St. in Rifle.
• Silt Police Department at 970-876-2735 or go to 231 N Seventh St. in Silt. 
• New Castle Police Department at 970-984-2302 or go to 801 W Main St. in New Castle. 
• Glenwood Springs Police Department at 970-384-6500 or go to 101 Eighth St. in Glenwood Springs. 
• Carbondale Police Department at 970-963-2662 or go to 511 Colorado Ave. #911 in Carbondale. 
• Garfield County Dispatch at 970-625-8095