BU student charged with aggravated indecent liberties

Story by Dory Smith, Multimedia Editor

A 20-year-old Baker student-athlete is facing felony charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

According to a criminal complaint filed with the Douglas County District Court, the Baker student did “unlawfully and feloniously engage in an act of sexual intercourse” with a 15-year-old female in late March of 2015.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office records, he was arrested and booked on June 23, 2016, into the Douglas County Jail but was released the same day.

The Baker University registrar’s office confirmed the student’s pre-enrollment for the upcoming fall semester.

Assistant Director of Athletics Tyler Price said the student is not attending or participating in any summer conditioning with his team, and the university is aware of the severity of the accusations.

“We are conducting an internal investigation for student conduct/Title IX,” Price said. “We take these allegations very seriously and have a zero tolerance toward any sexual misconduct.”

Dean of Students Cassy Bailey was unable to speak directly about the case but discussed the possible consequences that any student would face if accused of violating a code of conduct either on or off campus.

For misconduct off campus, the student handbook states, “…the University reserves the right to take action in such instances where the misconduct constitutes a violation of the University standards or is of such a serious nature that it suggests a danger to the University community. In such cases, the University may initiate action whether or not legal action has been taken. The Dean of Students will decide when institutional purposes are best served by such conduct action.”

For on-campus violations, “the university would open an investigation, and if there was enough cause the university would move forward with conduct proceedings,” Bailey said. “More severe cases filed under a level 3 would usually be adjudicated by a conduct hearing board.”

Director of Marketing and Communications Chris Smith declined to discuss any information about the case.

“We’re still gathering details,” Smith said. “The conduct investigation is ongoing, so we won’t comment on any details at this time.”

The initial preliminary hearing for Douglas County is scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 6 in the Sally D. Pokorny Division Two Courtroom.