LACEY - A man who assaulted and raped a female student at Saint Martin's University in Lacey used a stun gun in the attack, police disclosed Sunday.

And now students at the small, secluded campus are keeping a warier eye on their surroundings, just like their counterparts at large urban schools, as rumors spread that the rapist with salt-and-pepper hair had been seen again on campus.

Police are not releasing the make and model of the stun device the suspect used during the attack. But they do say it is a kind that anyone can buy.

Stun guns, often used by police to subdue violent suspects or by civilians for personal protection, can be purchased online or in just about sporting goods store these days for $20 on up. They work by shocking the target with high voltage, and the shock can be paralyzing.

Police say the victim in Wednesday's attack was shocked with a stun gun then raped as she walked along a trail just to the north of school. (A sketch of the suspect, as described by the victim, is at right.)

The brazen daylight attack on Wednesday has shattered the tranquility of the Saint Martin's campus, which students and faculty had prized for its wooded walking trails.

Now every twist and turn of the dirt paths around the university grounds are seen as a potential hiding place for the rapist and his stun gun.

Kevin Jones, a student there, doesn't let his girlfriend out of his sight. "If somebody is using a weapon it's a lot scarier," he said.

Campus security and Lacey police have stepped up patrols. Signs have been posted about the attack in darker, wooded areas. And many people using the trails are traveling in groups of two or three - or more.

Lt. Jim Mack of the Lacey police said the attack took place only a few blocks from the Lacey police station, when the woods were full of hikers and it was still light out at 6 p.m.

"The wooded area out there is heavily populated by people from City Hall, people from the university and people from the department of Ecology and the Department of Fish and Wildlife," he said.

The victim got a good look at her attacker describing him as a white man, in his 50s, 6 feet tall, with a thin build and salt-and-pepper buzz cut hair.

He was wearing a blue vest, long sleeve dark blue pullover shirt, light blue jeans and hiking boots.

Police are checking to see if this is connected to the rape of a female student at The Evergreen State College last October.

To contact the Lacey Police Detective Bureau, call 360-459-4333.

To contact Thurston County Crime Stoppers, call 360-493-2222