Attempted sexual assault suspect banned from campus

Attempted sexual assault suspect banned from campus

By Bill Lukitsch, @Bill_LukitschDE

SIU student James Janowski was banned from campus Wednesday, two weeks after he was arrested on charges of battery and attempted sexual assault involving another student.

The university issued a May 4 letter informing Janowski, a freshman studying marketing, he is no longer allowed to be on campus property, according to information obtained by the Daily Egyptian through a Freedom of Information Act request. The suspension is listed as an interim action, and a hearing date for review had not been scheduled as of Monday.

Circumstances surrounding the suspension were not specified by university officials, but the university can discipline any student who violates the Student Conduct Code, which includes breaking local laws.

Advertisement

Calls to Lori Stettler, interim vice chancellor of student affairs, and Chad Trisler, director of student rights and responsibilities, went unreturned as of Monday evening.

Police began investigating the case following a complaint of an April 1 incident in the 1100 block of East Grand Avenue, according to a Carbondale police news release. The suspect allegedly battered and attempted to sexually abuse an acquaintance, police said.

Police arrested Janowski on April 18 in Lentz Hall as a result of the investigation.

Information filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on Wednesday shows Janowski faces a felony charge for attempted criminal assault and a misdemeanor charge of attempted criminal sexual abuse. Janowski allegedly made contact of a sexual nature forcibly and with the intent to commit a sexual act of penetration, ignoring the victim’s commands to stop.

Janowski was incarcerated at the Jackson County Jail following his arrest and was held on $1,500 bond. He was released on April 19 after posting $150 and instructed to appear in court on May 18, according to the bond sheet.

Court records show Janowski faces another felony charge of aggravated battery for an April 30 incident, where he allegedly poured beer on the same victim’s head in an insulting or provoking nature while at a bar in the 500 block of South Illinois Avenue. He was also charged with misdemeanor battery for that incident.

The conditions Janowski’s bond entered in Jackson County Court on May 4 stipulate he cannot make contact the victim.

Advertisement*

The name of the victim has been withheld to protect her privacy. She declined to comment on this story.

Janowski first enrolled at the university in fall 2015 and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity on campus. He was expelled from the fraternity on May 5, according to ATO chapter president Nolan McConnell, a junior from Bourbonnais studying computer science. 

Bill Lukitsch can be contacted at [email protected] or 618-536-3329.

Advertisement