POPLARVILLE — Pearl River Community College Campus Police arrested a student Sunday afternoon, less than 12 hours after he allegedly sexually assaulted another student, according to a release from the college.
Following an intensive and diligent investigation, the student, who has not been identified at press time, is being held in the Pearl River County jail awaiting an initial court appearance on the PRCC charge, PRCC Director of Public Safety Doug Rowell said in the release.
The suspect is accused of entering the female student’s residence hall room about 2 a.m. Sunday and sexually assaulting her. The suspect threatened the woman before the assault, Rowell said in the release. The suspect was taken into custody early Sunday afternoon on campus. He has been suspended from the college, pending resolution of the case.
College officials expressed remorse over the incident. PRCC President, Dr. William Lewis, stated his profound regrets and concern for the victim.
“PRCC has always put the safety and security of our students as the highest of institutional priorities,” said Dr. Lewis in the release.
“To have an incident of this nature occur on one of our campuses brings a heightened awareness that in spite of our efforts to provide for the safety of all of our students and employees, we must continuously work to evaluate and improve our effort in this regard. You can be assured that no stone will be left unturned as we research this incident and evaluate improvements for the future.”
The press release did not list the student’s name.