Warning: this article mentions and includes details of sexual assault that may be disturbing to some readers.
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana University Police arrested an IU student Wednesday who is accused of repeatedly inappropriately touching a female student several times during move-in week.
Jackson Arnold, 18, is facing three counts of sexual battery, each level 6 felonies.
According to court documents, officers met with a girl to take a sexual battery report early Wednesday morning. She told police that Arnold had repeatedly touched her inappropriately.
Arnold knew the girl and ran into the group at a block party at McNutt, the girl told police.
Court documents state that Arnold unexpectedly hopped into an Uber with the girl and was alone with her in her dorm for a few minutes before others arrived.
The girl told police that her and the group tried several ways to get Arnold to leave, but he didn’t, so they decided to leave instead.
According to court documents, Arnold followed, and once outside, insisted that he walk the girl home but was told “no,” and “wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
While walking, the girl told police Arnold grabbed her breasts and put his hands down her pants.
When police met with Arnold a short time later, officers noted he had poor balance and was stumbling and had a “strong” odor of alcohol coming from his breath.
According to court documents, Arnold admitted he touched one of the girls’ butt but it was “accidental.” He also said he had “too many contact” with one of the girls but touched her because he was worried she was too intoxicated.
When he was being put into the police car, Arnold reportedly said something like “people blowing things out of proportion.”
According to court documents, Arnold later admitted to touching the girls in the lower thigh and breasts, but did “not intend to do so inappropriately.”
Arnold reportedly apologized for over drinking. breathalyzer revealed Arnold had a BrAC or 0.153%.
Police also said that one of assaults was captured on security video as Arnold and the group where walking out of an unnamed building.
Arnold has an initial hearing scheduled for Friday.
Arnold is still listed in the IU directory.
In a statement, IU Spokesman Mark Bode said “IU is aware of the situation and is following all applicable policies.”
The start of the academic year to Thanksgiving Break is known as the “Red Zone,” or the time during the year when sexual assault reports are highest.
According to IU’s 2023 Security and Public Safety Report, for the IU Bloomington campus in 2022, there were 38 reported rapes that occurred on-campus, and five reported rapes that occurred off campus, totaling 43. This was an increase from 2021, where there were 24 reported rapes that occurred on-campus, and seven reported rapes that occurred off campus, totaling 31.
The IU Security and Public Safety Report defines rape as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”
For more information on sexual violence prevention and resources, see http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu
Additional safety tips can be found at: https://protect.iu.edu/police-safety/safety-prevention/index.html
