Accused of touching two female students inappropriately on Tuesday, Gustavo Antonio Velasquez Silva, 21, was released on $6,000 bond Friday night.
The Durham County Sheriff's Office confirmed to The Chronicle that Silva was charged with two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery and was released from custody Friday at 10:40 p.m. DukeToday reported Friday that an arrest warrant had been issued for Silva.
The incidents Tuesday were alleged to have occurred around 9 p.m. near Campus Drive, when two women reported being approached individually and touched inappropriately by who police now say is Silva.
"Although we are disappointed the individual allegedly committed these acts, we are pleased that the suspect was quickly both identified and subsequently arrested," wrote Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration, in an email to The Chronicle. "In addition, we extend our appreciation to members of the Duke Police department, and outside agencies that work in collaboration to apprehend the suspect."
A DukeAlert was issued roughly two hours after the incident occurred Tuesday. No injuries were reported in either incident, according to the alert.
“I want to commend the quick work on this case by investigators with Duke Police,” Cavanaugh said Friday in a release after the warrant was issued for Silva. “The suspect was identified quickly and arrest warrants issued the day after the incidents.”
One of these students reported the incident via the LiveSafe mobile app.
At the time, the alert was the second DukeAlert issued in a 24-hour period. On Monday, an alert was sent after a reported armed robbery Monday night in the Wannamaker fire lane. That same night, there was a second armed robbery reported around the same time near Duke's campus. The robbery was reported on Burch's Avenues 800 block, just more than a mile from the fire lane. A car, a phone and keys were stolen at gunpoint, said Kammie Michael, spokesperson of Durham Police Department.
John Dailey, chief of Duke University Police Department, wrote in an email to The Chronicle Tuesday that an investigator is working closely with Durham investigators for connections between the two cases.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.