An MTSU student and former Kappa Sigma fraternity pledge has been released from his pledgeship after accusations of sexually assaulting an MTSU sophomore.
On March 23, the sophomore reported the alleged assault to Murfreesboro Police. She claimed that she attended a party at the MTSU Kappa Sigma fraternity house on February 7.
The sophomore reported that she left the party with the alleged perpetrator, then a pledge of the fraternity, in a car driven by her friend. The sophomore sat in the back seat with the accused when he allegedly pushed her against the window of the car, began to kiss her and put his hands down her pants. According to the report, the sophomore told the perpetrator to stop, but he continued. The driver then pulled the car over and convinced the perpetrator to exit the vehicle.
In the following days, the sophomore described the event to other people, and this began to cause problems for the pledge among Kappa Sigma members.
“He was not a fraternity member when the incident happened. We were not aware of the incident until the victim came to us first. Once we learned this information, we dropped him from his pledgeship and encouraged the victim to alert the police,” MTSU Kappa Sigma President Denis Nackley said. “We hold a zero tolerance policy for these kind of actions, and had we known this information prior, he would have never had a chance at being a pledge.”
According to the report, the sophomore was prompted to contact police when the accused texted her, threatening to sue her for defamation of character.
Assistant Dean of MTSU Judicial Affairs and Mediation Laura Lightsy confirmed that the office was investigating the report.
“Our office follows up on every MTSU police report that describes a potential violation of university rules,” Lightsy said.
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