OxfordPress.com

A 19-year-old Miami University student was forced to the ground and raped on a public street this morning.

According to Oxford police, the female student was walking on the 300 block of South Poplar Street at 2:45 a.m. when a man pinned her to the ground and raped her. Following the incident, the woman returned home, and her roommates contacted authorities.

Oxford police transported the student to McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital where doctors examined her. The victim described her assailant as a 6-foot, white male with shaggy brown hair. He was wearing a light colored shirt and denim jeans.

The rape follows an armed rape of a 21-year-old Miami University student in January on Campus Avenue. Oxford Police Sgt. Jim Squance advised students to walk home in groups.

"If people need to be out alone late at night, go out in groups and watch out for one another," he said. "Be aware of your surroundings.".

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or jgiordano@coxohio.com.