« Reply #90 on: November 29, 2012, 05:19:48 PM »
good god.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/article_c2f9ab8c-95bc-5d6e-aae5-016aa58dbab3.html#.ULfmzLJGWFg.twitterLess than 48 hours after an accusation of rape against Mizzou senior guard Michael Dixon became public in the wake of the case being closed for insufficient evidence, another documented accusation of rape against Dixon surfaced Thursday in a 2010 University of Missouri police incident report obtained by the Post-Dispatch.
That report also led to no charges against Dixon as the alleged victim declined to press charges out of what she said was fear of retaliation and being ostracized by family. But a nurse who examined the woman said afterward that from the injuries sustained she “believes force was involved,” according to the report.
And the earlier case could be a pivotal factor in the future of Dixon, whose indefinite suspension apparently now hinges on an appeal of an apparent Student Conduct Committee ruling to be rendered by Chancellor Brady Deaton.
Speaking in broad terms not specific to the Dixon case, MU news bureau executive director Mary Jo Banken on Thursday said, “When a case is brought before the Student Conduct Committee, any previous accusations against the same student can be taken into account and may affect the final decision.”
Some believe Dixon's case may have been bolstered by the closing Nov. 16 of a rape accusation against him made in August, an accusation made by the same woman whose recent posts on Twitter suggested Dixon's season-long suspension was related to her allegations against him.
Boone County prosecutors determined that a police investigation lacked sufficient evidence to even interview Dixon.
But the Student Conduct Committee and, ultimately, Deaton may be considering more than that one issue with Dixon and aren't bound by the same standards as the legal system.
Again being careful to speak generally, Banken said the standards for the university are different than those of law enforcement. It's a “preponderance” of evidence, she said, not beyond a reasonable doubt.
And the question isn't whether Dixon did or did not commit rape or even sexual assault. The standard is whether the action of the accused was “harmful to the other student in any way,” Banken said.
It's believed that the conduct committee had information about the previous accusation reported to university police on Jan. 11, 2010.
According to the report, a recently graduated MU student described a sexual assault by Dixon to University of Missouri police from an episode late the night of Jan. 9.
The alleged victim declined to press charges, she said in a supplemental follow-up interview conducted by Det. Sam Easley, for various reasons “including not wanting her family to know and not going through the pressure and harassment from outside sources.
“(She) stated she was concerned that since Dixon is a basketball player (for Mizzou) that no one would believe her about what happened and she may be persecuted for it.”
That fear included concern about reprisal from Dixon, who she said with descriptions consistent in both interviews forced intercourse upon her despite her protests and struggle.
A nurse who attended the initial interview said “from the injuries sustained, she believes force was involved,” the report noted.
Dixon also allegedly disregarded being told the accuser was not on birth control, something she said in hopes of deterring him. Afterward, she reported, Dixon said, “If you're pregnant, you can't be.”
“She told Dixon she would never get an abortion, and she stated Dixon told her that if he found out she was pregnant he would `kick her in the stomach and push her down the stairs,' ” the report said. She “stated Dixon was laughing as he was saying this and did not think anything was a big deal.”
But she did, and that influenced some of her thinking as she tried to determine what to do afterward.
“ `If he's going to threaten to do this to me if I get pregnant, what would he threaten to do if I pressed charges or pursued it?' ” a source close to the woman said Wednesday that he believed her thinking to be.
It's uncertain whether the MU athletic department knew about the incident report itself, the source said.
But the alleged victim, then an MU employee, told the source close to her that at least two Mizzou athletics officials knew about it soon after she shared the information with authorities.
That led, she believed, to it being discussed at a broader athletic department meeting.
Though she was unsure of who attended the meeting, soon thereafter she apparently was invited to meet with then-MU basketball coach Mike Anderson.
Anderson was sympathetic, she said in a past interview with the Post-Dispatch and the source verified Wednesday, to the point where he cried as she told her story. Each source said Anderson also told her he could take no action unless she moved forward with the accusation, presumably meaning into the legal process though possibly also meaning entering into a complaint to Mizzou — such as the one that engaged the Student Conduct Committee more recently.
Anderson in no way tried to pressure her not to take it forward, each source said.
It was later suggested she move on from her MU job, the source said Wednesday, though specifying that she wasn't forced out and that she seemed to take the suggestion as in her best interests.
On the final page of the report, written on Jan. 21, 2010, Easley writes that the alleged victim did not wish to prosecute or want Dixon to be contacted concerning the case.
He concluded, “At this time I request this case remain open.”
University police could not immediately be reached for comment, and the source close to the alleged victim said it was doubtful she would ever press charges.
But the source was not certain of that and noted there is no statute of limitations on forcible rape in the state of Missouri.
Deaton has been in Thailand and is expected to return to his office on Friday. From a procedural standpoint, according to the University of Missouri System Rules of Procedure in Student Conduct Matters, once the committee has rendered a ruling Deaton is the last source of appeal unless he deems to “remand the matter for further proceedings.”
MU men's basketball spokesman Dave Reiter declined comment on behalf of coach Frank Haith, and attempts to reach MU police and Anderson for comment were not immediately successful.
Haith repeatedly has said Dixon is suspended for a violation of team rules, first making his suspension public in mid-October.
The committee made its unknown ruling against Dixon in early November.
Dixon continues to attend classes at MU, and the enforcement of his punishment apparently is pending appeal.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2012, 05:38:54 PM by WillieWatanabe »
Logged
Sometimes I think of the Book of Job and how God likes to really eff with people.
- chunkles
