Two Northern Oklahoma College Students Report Separate Rape Incidents in Dorms in Tonkawa

Tonkawa, Okla. (KOKH) — Two female students say they were raped in their dorms at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa.

Investigators say the incidents happened a week apart and aren’t related.

Jamison Sylestine is booked in jail for rape.

Police say he went to a woman’s dorm room at NOC to watch a movie on October 22.

She reports Sylestine raped her.

“We don’t get called to the college very often,” Tonkawa police chief Nicholas Payne said. “It’s a very safe campus.”

A few days later, another sexual assault was reported on campus.

Investigators say it also happened in a dorm room.

There have been no arrest in this case yet.

“I don’t think there is a concern to the general population,” NOC President Clark Harris said. “Campus safety is highly important to us.”

Harris says he often walks around campus to ask students if they feel safe or feel that the lighting at night is bright enough.

There are five dorms on campus, Harris said.

All to of them require an ID card to get in the door.

“We also have dorm parents in each dorm, so an adult is there and available to provide some level of security,” Harris said.

Four years ago, the college was fined nearly $300,000 by the Department of Education for incorrectly reporting crimes in and around campus.

“They are very good with communication, with camera footage and security personnel,” Payne said. “They’re good at working with us.”