Former Stanford student Brock Turner charged in sexual assault, banned from campus

Brock Turner, a former Stanford freshman facing five felony sexual assault charges, has voluntarily withdrawn his registration from the university and he is not eligible to re-enroll.

Turner, 19, is prohibited from returning to Stanford after an investigation into a Jan. 18 incident that was reported to campus police by concerned students.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney on Tuesday filed charges against Turner including rape of an unconscious person and rape of an intoxicated person.  The District Attorney’s office said students, who came across Turner and a woman who was not a Stanford student, were instrumental in stopping the alleged assault in progress, outdoors near student residences and Lake Lagunita.

“Several students, both graduates and undergraduates, were upstanders in this situation,” said Catherine Criswell, the university’s Title IX Coordinator.  “They made the courageous decision to intervene and provide assistance.  That is exactly the type of leadership and caring we attempt to cultivate in our community, and we commend those students on their courage and quick response.”

The Stanford Department of Public Safety immediately conducted an investigation into the incident and turned its findings over to the District Attorney for review. Separately, the university also launched an investigation under its Title IX process.

In compliance with the Jeanne Cleary Act, no campus emergency alert was issued in the incident, because the suspect was immediately in custody and there was not an ongoing or immediate threat to the campus community.

Turner, a freshman from Dayton, Ohio, had been a member of the men’s swim team.  He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Monday.