University of North Carolina linebacker Allen Artis turned himself in at a magistrate’s court Wednesday morning, exactly seven months after a fellow student said he raped her on campus.
The accuser, sophomore Delaney Robinson, told the media Tuesday she was angry over how authorities and the university have handled the case.
“My life has changed forever, while the person who assaulted me remains as a student and a football player on this campus,” said Robinson, now 19.
Artis was charged Tuesday with sexual battery and assault on a female, both misdemeanors. His arrest warrant states he is accused of lying on top of Robinson, pinning her down with his weight as he raped her. The warrant further accuses him of pulling Robinson’s bra strap, “causing an indentation on her shoulder/back.”
Artis has not responded to the allegations. The office of Sam Coleman, his attorney, told CNN it has no comment on the matter.
Artis was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond and is scheduled to be in court Wednesday afternoon. It’s unclear whether Artis will appear or if only his attorney will show up.
The allegations
Robinson said she was 18 at the time of the alleged February 14 assault at the Ram Village apartments on UNC’s campus.
“Yes, I was drinking that night on Valentine’s Day,” Robinson said Tuesday, with her father and lawyer by her side. “I’m underage, and I take responsibility for that, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to violate me. I did not deserve to be raped.”
Typically, CNN does not name alleged victims of sexual assault. In this case, Robinson came out out publicly.
Robinson said she went to a hospital after the incident and gave an account of what she could remember to the sexual-assault nurse. She was then questioned by the university’s department of public safety investigators, who asked “demeaning and accusatory questions,” Robinson said.
“Did I lead him on? Have I hooked up with him before? Do I often have one-night stands? Did I even say no? What is my sexual history? How many men have I slept with? I was treated like a suspect,” she said.
An incident report from the UNC Department of Public Safety was taken just before 5:30 a.m. on Valentine’s Day, according to the document obtained by CNN.
Robinson said her “humiliation turned to rage when I (later) listened to the recorded interviews of my rapist by DPS investigators.”
“Rather than accusing him of anything, the investigators spoke to him with a tone of camaraderie,” Robinson said. “They provided reassurances to him when he became upset. They even laughed with him when he told them how many girls’ phone numbers he had managed to get on the same night that he raped me. They told him, ‘Don’t sweat it, just keep on living your life and keep on playing football.'”
The investigation
Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall said “there is no question that there was physical contact, but what the circumstances are surrounding the contact are what investigators are trying to determine.”
In North Carolina, anyone can go before a magistrate and swear to criminal acts that happened against them. A magistrate then determines if there is enough evidence to go forward. Charges that originate in this fashion can be only misdemeanors; felonies must be brought by the DA’s office.
After Artis turned himself in, Woodall told CNN it was unusual for a court to draw misdemeanor warrants while a felony investigation is under way. He can’t recall it happening during his 27 years working in the office (he’s been district attorney for more than a decade), and he said that he and his staff will have to have a conversation about “how we go forward and handle that.”
The investigation remains open, he said, noting that the UNC department of public safety “took investigatory steps” on August 26 and August 29 and consulted with his office.
“The investigation is still ongoing,” Woodall has said. “These are very serious charges, and before we go forward we would like to have the investigation completed or close to being completed.”
Cases like Robinson’s are “difficult to prosecute and difficult to prove,” he said. While obtaining an arrest warrant requires only probable cause, convictions require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Woodall said his staff has worked to “refocus” investigators on achieving that standard of proof.
“UNC has been working with that standard in mind and consulting with us,” Woodall said.
Robinson’s lawyer, Denise Branch, said her client has fully cooperated with the investigation.
She provided a photo purportedly taken on the night of the alleged attack showing what Branch said was bruising on Robinson’s neck.
The university’s response
The University’s Title IX office has been looking into the case, Branch said.
Title IX is the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at any educational institution that receives federal funding. The US Department of Education interprets Title IX to say that sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, and therefore schools could be held responsible if they don’t investigate and adjudicate cases.
“Delaney made the courageous decision to come forward,” Branch said in a statement. “But that courage was met with inaction and indifference. Delaney feels betrayed by the University she chose.”
UNC said it is aware of the allegations but cannot address them because of federal privacy law.
“The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our students and takes all allegations about sexual violence or sexual misconduct extremely seriously,” it said.
In 2014, UNC implemented a revised policy on discrimination and harassment that included sections on sexual assault. The move came after five women filed a complaint with the federal Education Department, accusing the university of creating a hostile environment for students who reported sexual assault allegations, according to CNN affiliate WRAL.
“That policy establishes a rigorous process conducted by well-trained investigators,” UNC’s statement said. “The university provides compassionate care to all students who need support.”
But Robinson and her attorney said that’s not true in this case.
The accused and his coach
As for Artis’ athletic future, UNC athletes facing misdemeanor charges are suspended from their teams. They can be reinstated if approved by the school’s athletics director, the team’s coach and other university officials.
UNC football coach Larry Fedora said he could not comment on the allegations.
“We take these matters very seriously and are fully cooperating with the appropriate authorities,” he said Monday.
