MCLENNAN COUNTY JAIL
Jacob Anderson, a former fraternity president at Baylor University who was indicted on felony sexual assault charges, will reportedly avoid jail time and registering as a sex offender after accepting a plea deal.
In 2016, Anderson was indicted on four counts of sexual assault after a female Baylor student accused Anderson of raping her during a party held by Anderson’s former fraternity, Phi Delta Theta.
According to reports, Anderson, now 24, pleaded no contest to one count of unlawful restraint, which is a third-degree felony. The plea deal stipulates that Anderson faces three years of deferred probation, must pay a $400 fine and be required to undergo counseling.
The family of the accuser and their lawyer Vic Feazell called Anderson’s plea bargain a “sweetheart deal.”
“I don’t get it. I just don’t get. It sends a really bad message at this time to women who are thinking about reporting sexual abuse from the past. He’s a good looking young man, he’s from a very wealthy Dallas family, he’s from a fraternity. So what? That doesn’t give him a free pass,” Feazell said.
Following the woman’s allegations, Baylor University launched an investigation that resulted in Anderson’s expulsion.
via CBS:
“The McLennan County District Attorney’s office is known throughout the state for our aggressive prosecution of sexual assault cases, to say otherwise is simply absurd,” said District Attorney Abel Reyna.
“Let us remind everyone that our oath is to seek justice. In pursuit of that ideal, we must evaluate each case alone on its own merit..This office stands by the plea offered and believes we have achieved the best result possible with the evidence at hand.”
The accuser said Anderson assaulted her during a Phi Delta Theta party in 2015. According to an arrest affidavit cited by KWTX, she said she became “disoriented and very confused” after sipping a drink, and Anderson then led her outside to a secluded area and forced her to the ground. She said she was unable to breathe and lost consciousness at some point during the assault, and woke up lying in her own vomit. The affidavit redacted details about the alleged assault.
Additionally, the District Attorney office’s statement also said that law enforcement could not find evidence to support early claims that the woman was drugged.
