Four former Vanderbilt football
players have been indicted on five counts of aggravated rape each of an
unconscious 21-year-old student at a campus dormitory in June.
Safety
Cory Batey, 19 of Nashville, Tenn.; defensive back Brandon Banks, 19,
of Brandywine, Md.; receiver Jaborian 'Tip' McKenzie, 19, of Woodville,
Miss.; and tight end Brandon Vandenburg, 20, of Indio, Calif. also have
been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual battery for an
incident tipped to campus officials by surveillance video.
Vandenburg also is charged with one count of tampering with evidence and one count of unlawful photography.
Tight end Brandon Vandenburg, 20, of Indio,
California (left) and safety Cory Batey, (right) 19 of Nashville,
Tennessee, are among the four Vanderbilt football players charged with
rape
Brandon Banks, 19, of Brandywine, Maryland
(left) and Jaborian 'Tip' McKenzie, 19, (right) of Woodville,
Mississippi are also charged in the crime
Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson
credited Friday's indictment to the painstaking work of detectives from
the sex crimes unit and an electronics expert from the department.
Nashville detectives even traveled to Palm Desert, Calif., for several
days in late July working with the Riverside Co. Sheriff's Office in
California to collect evidence.
'Their
investigation has uncovered compelling, unsettling evidence that was
presented to the Davidson County Grand Jury earlier today,' Anderson
said in a statement.
Vanderbilt
dismissed the players June 29 and barred them from the campus pending
the investigation. Vice chancellor Beth Fortune said Friday that their
first thoughts are for the victim, a Vanderbilt student, and that the
university will continue to offer her all of its services and support.
'We are shocked and saddened by the
allegations that such an assault has taken place on our campus and that
they include members of our football team,' Fortune said in a statement.
'The
charges brought today against the four former Vanderbilt football
players allege conduct which is abhorrent and will never be tolerated.
We will review our athletics program to be sure that it, like all other
programs at the university, reflects our culture of community and
respect for others and that our student athletes are held to the same
high standards of conduct as all our students.'
According
to Nashville police, the four men are charged with raping the
unconscious woman inside Vandenburg's room at Gillette House dormitory
early on June 23. University officials checking the dorm's surveillance
in the hallways on an unrelated matter noticed the four's behavior and
notified the Vanderbilt University Police Department the night of June
25. Campus police contacted Nashville's sex crimes unit June 26.
Vanderbilt University (pictured) dismissed the players June 29 and barred them from the campus pending the investigation
Attorney Worrick
Robinson said Batey has been taken into custody at his Nashville home.
Police said Batey was taken to a hospital for mandatory blood testing
before being taken to the Metro Jail with his bond set at $350,000.
Police said they are making arrangements for the other three to be taken
into custody as well.
But the investigation is continuing.
'Although
four people are being charged at this time, the investigation is still
on-going into the actions of other individuals and the role(s) they may
have played in this incident,' District Attorney General Torry Johnson
said.
Vanderbilt did not
identify the four players until July 15 before the Commodores headed to
Alabama for Southeastern Conference media days. The players already
were listed in the team's media guide for the upcoming season but no
longer are on the roster.
None of the four played a snap for
Vanderbilt last season. Batey came in last season as a receiver and
redshirted behind Jordan Matthews and Chris Boyd before switching to
safety this spring.
Banks
also redshirted as a freshman last season. His attorney Grover Collins
declined to comment on the indictment but said last month that Banks is
innocent and fully cooperating with police.
McKenzie
redshirted in 2012, but the 5-foot-8 receiver had four catches for 83
yards in the Commodores' spring game -- the most yards receiving in the
game. His attorney, Jodie Bell, did not immediately return a message by
the AP. The 6-foot-5 Vandenburg was considered one of the top junior
college tight ends nationally coming out of Xavier College Prep, and he
became the first junior college transfer at Vanderbilt since Jordan
Rodgers in 2010.
The
Commodores, who went 9-4 and won the Music City for their best season
since 1915 last season, opens the 2013 season Aug. 29 hosting
Mississippi.
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1 comment:
Juliana, I think the picture you have of Brandon Banks is of a different, older Brandon Banks Professional player, not Brandon E Banks, the man accused of participating in the gang rape at Vanderbilt in 2013.
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