Some ETSU students are concerned that they did not receive an alert regarding an alleged rape which occurred at Centennial Hall early Monday morning. Early Monday, ETSU police arrested Andre Lemont Jones and charged him with rape following an investigation into an incident which occurred at Centennial Hall.

Jones, of Chattanooga, was arraigned and released on bond Monday.

According to a report by ETSU Public Safety, Jones, who is not an ETSU student, had attended The Fray concert Sunday night with the roommate of the student who claims she was raped.

Police released the following report by Public Safety Officer Mark Tipton:

The student stated she was surprised when she returned to her dorm to find Jones and another man there.

The student and Jones then began to kiss, and she stated he began to push her head downward, in an effort to begin oral sex. The student said she complied for several minutes before Jones pushed her on her back and began to have intercourse with her. after she told him no several times.

The student stated she was scared and that is why it happened, the report said.

The student was taken to the Johnson City Medical Center for a rape kit, and counselors arrived shortly after.

The student’s boyfriend contacted Public Safety after he received a text message from his girlfriend, which said “she thought she might have been raped.”

The student’s phone and bed linens were taken as evidence.

During the first week of school, students received a Gold Alert message stating that a sexual assault had occurred at Buccaneer Ridge and that the suspect had not been apprehended. Later, the campus-wide alert was lifted, after the woman who reported the assault chose not to press criminal charges.

On Monday, students did not receive a message regarding the alleged rape.

Late Wednesday night, most students the East Tennessean spoke to had no idea about the incident.

“It’s scary,” Megan Ketron said. “They should have let us know.”

Freshman Desiree Kepley said while the suspect was caught, students still should have known.

“I’ve never felt unsafe on campus,” Kepley said. “Even so, had I known this had happened, I would have been much more careful. I don’t think it’s good that they didn’t warn us about this. I didn’t even know it happened.”

Freshman Lauren Ramsey agreed. “I never travel alone.”

ETSU Director of Media Relations Joe Smith said that although the incident was serious, there was no need for a campus-wide alert.

“We evaluate each incident and because the suspect was in custody, we did not feel an alert was needed,” Smith said. “We felt there was no immediate threat to students or the campus. We encourage students to practice safety precautions on a daily basis.”

Freshman Meredith Watkins disagrees.

“I don’t understand,” Watkins said. “They are always telling us to be safe on campus, but when something like this actually happens, they don’t let anyone know. It just seems very counter-productive to me. I didn’t take any extra precaution on campus because I didn’t know anything had happened. My dorm is very close to Centennial. It doesn’t matter if the guy was in custody or not.”

ETSU police chief Jack Cotrel could not be reached for comment as this issue went to press.

For more information on campus safety or safety tips, call 439-4480.

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