BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — An Indiana University student was arrested during the school’s recent Welcome Week for allegedly sexually battering and groping female students. This comes as IU Police investigate two reports of on-campus rapes since the start of the school year.
Jackson Arnold, a Bloomington resident and IU student, was arrested on Aug. 21 by IUPD and charged with three counts of sexual battery – a level 6 felony. The arrest came after several students reported being fondled and groped by Arnold at the Wilkie South dorm.
Sexual battery reports
Arnold had reportedly met the victims during a Welcome Week party at McNutt Quad and made them feel uncomfortable. The victims told police Arnold had gotten in their Uber with them uninvited and followed them home.
Court documents filed against Arnold allege that the IU student drunkenly began groping the women by putting his hands on their breasts and rubbing their thighs. One victim also claimed that Arnold slapped her on the buttocks.
After confirming with the women that they wanted to press charges, officers recovered a security video showing Arnold smacking one of the victims on the butt.
IUPD crews then went to Arnold’s dorm room and saw that he had bloodshot eyes and was stumbling around. He was then handcuffed and put into a squad car.
While en route to the police station, officers claim that Arnold mentioned “something about people blowing things out of proportion.” He also smelled strongly of alcohol, police noted.
Once inside the interview room, officers reportedly watched Arnold projectile vomit all over the table and floor. After this, he was taken for a blood alcohol test that resulted in a 0.153% BAC. Arnold told officers he had been drinking “a lot,” including “Fireball, Tito’s and Malibu.”
Arnold then reportedly admitted to touching one of the women on the butt, but claimed it was an accident. He stated the girls had wanted to cuddle with him and hold his hand. Police said Arnold also admitted he had “too many contacts” with another girl.
“The lowest I got was their side and side boob,” he said at one point.
After this alleged admission, police arrested Arnold and he was booked into the Monroe County Jail on three counts of felony sexual battery and one count of misdemeanor minor alcohol consumption. A pretrial conference in Arnold’s case is now scheduled for Oct. 28.
Rapes reported
In addition to the sexual battery arrest of Arnold, IUPD has also received reports of two on-campus rapes since students returned to Bloomington.
IUPD was alerted by officials at IU Health Bloomington Hospital on Aug. 27 of a rape that had been reported to doctors. IU Public Safety records show the alleged rape occurred around 4 a.m. on Aug. 22. No other details were immediately provided.
“Due to HIPPA regulations, details about the case were not provided to our agency,” IUPD said.
A week later, on Sept. 3, IUPD received a report of a second on-campus rape – this time at Forrest Quad. The incident reportedly happened around 3 a.m. the day before. However, online records show the victim reportedly declined to prosecute.
IUPD also received a report on Aug. 20 from the Title IX Office regarding a student who had been inappropriately touched on Woodlawn Field. However, the incident was never reported to IUPD by the individuals involved. The case has now been referred to IU officials for review, IUPD said.
More information
The Indiana Daily Student, IU’s student-run newspaper, reports that this part of the year is known on-campus as “Red Week.” According to the IDS, Red Week is “a period from the start of the fall semester to Thanksgiving break when students, especially freshmen, are at a higher risk for sexual assaults.”
The IDS writes that more than 50% of sexual assaults are statistically found to occur during this time. Since Aug. 19, two rapes and five sexual batteries have been reported on IUB’s campus.
To report a sexual assault on an IU campus, use this online form. To contact IU’s Confidential Victim Advocates, call (812) 856-2469 or email [email protected]. To contact IU Sexual Assault Crisis Service – which can connect students to counselors 24/7 – call (812) 855-8900.
