Courtesy of Cornell Athletics
Saano Murembya, a Cornell freshman who is part of the cross country and track and field teams, was arrested last weekend after a rampage on campus where he was running half-naked and attacked two women on campus, threatening to rape them. The 18-year-old from Okemos, Michigan was arrested on two felony counts of attempted sexual abuse and two misdemeanor counts of unlawful imprisonment.
Murembya pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released after posting bail of $7,500 cash.
All of the information you need to know about the story can be seen below.
What Happened?
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According to the Cornell Daily Crime log, an individual was arrested on Sunday, October 21 at 4:38 p.m. near the Robert Purcell Community Center on campus. The description read, “an individual eligible for youthful offender status has been referred to the Ithaca City Court” and described the incident as a sex offense.
That student turned out to be Murembya, who was allegedly on LSD before an argument with his girlfriend and her roommate before he fled the residence hall and threatened to rape additional bystanders.
The Cornell Sun reports:
Murembya’s girlfriend said in a sworn statement to police that before the alleged attacks, he took the hallucinogen LSD in High Rise 5. After that, the girlfriend said, he “told me he wanted to rape me” and “at one point threw me to the floor.”
Police and witnesses say that when Murembya’s girlfriend and roommate could not calm him down, he left the residence hall and sexually abused two women near the Robert Purcell Community Center, telling them and bystanders that he wanted to rape them.
Murembya is no longer on the cross country or track and field teams, according to Cornell Athletics spokesperson Jeremy Hartigan.
Where Is Cornell University?
Cornell University is a private and statutory Ivy League research university located in Ithaca, New York.