Alleged trespasser posts $2,500 bond

By Julia Mae Jorgensen
Staff Reporter

A 20-year-old male student suspected of criminal trespass of habitation has turned himself in to the Tarrant County Jail and posted $2,500 bond, TCU police said.

The charges were filed with the Tarrant County District Attorney on behalf of the victim, Detective Kelly Ham said. The district attorney had not filed the case with the court as of Tuesday, a court clerk said.

The recent development is in relation to the Jan. 30 incident in which, according to TCU police reports, a man entered an unlocked apartment in Walker Hall and allegedly masturbated while a student slept in her room. Ham said no criminal charges have been filed in connection with the alleged sexual act.

The student turned himself into the Tarrant County Jail Thursday, Ham said.

Coinciding with criminal charges, the office of Campus Life is conducting an on-campus investigation, said Mike Russel, associate dean of Campus Life.

“My range on any disciplinary case is a warning to expulsion,” Russel said. “Those are all options for this case.”

Russel would not comment on the student’s punishment and would not comment on whether the student had been drinking. TCU police also declined to comment.

“This was not a drug-related incident,” Russel said.

Criminal trespass of habitation is a Class A misdemeanor and punishable by a fine not to exceed $4,000, confinement in jail for no longer than one year, or both a fine and confinement.

Russel said the student, who was a resident of Walker, has left the residence. Russel said the student still attends TCU and plans to in the future.

The investigation will continue in the coming weeks, but Russel declined to comment on its nature.