The latest incident to trigger a resetting of the “Days Without An Arrest” ticker is a rather serious one.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, USF football player LaDarrius Jackson was arrested Monday night on charges of sexual battery and false imprisonment. The Bulls defensive end is currently being held without bond.
From the Times’ report:According to an arrest report filed by USF police, Jackson forced a woman to perform sex Monday afternoon despite her verbal and physical efforts to resist him. He forced her into her room after she placed her hands on a wall in an attempt to stop him, pushed her onto the bed and straddled her, the report says.
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In news releases sent Tuesday morning, USF police said they responded to a report about 3 p.m. from Holly Drive Apartments Building A about a sexual battery that occurred half an hour earlier. The victim immediately reported the incident to university housing staff, who helped her in contacting police, according to one of the releases.
The incident occurred at a residential hall and “no physical injuries were reported to police,” according to the releases. The releases also say the victim and suspect “were known acquaintances,” though the exact nature of their relationship is unclear.
As a result of the incident, the redshirt junior has been indefinitely suspended by Charlie Strong from all football-related activities.
“We are aware of the charges filed against [the player],” the first-year USF head coach said in a statement. “While we find the allegations troubling, we will continue to gather information and support the judicial process before providing further comment.”
After transferring in from the junior college ranks, Jackson played in seven games for the Bulls last season.
This is the second significant off-field incident involving one of Strong’s players in a little over a month.
In late March, defensive back Hassan Childs was hospitalized in stable condition after being shot during a weekend incident. A day later, Childs was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of misdemeanor marijuana possession in connection to a road-rage incident the night he was shot. Childs allegedly pointed a gun at least twice at a man, Jovanni Jimenez, and his family and was ultimately shot three times by Jimenez. Jimenez wasn’t charged as he claimed self-defense.
On the same day he was charged, the senior safety was dismissed by Strong.