A University of South Florida football player was arrested on Monday night just before 11:00 p.m.
LaDarrius Jackson was arrested by USF Police on campus. The 22-year-old defensive end was charged with False Imprisonment and Sexual Battery.
USF campus police say the incident occurred at a residential building on campus 2:30 p.m. on Monday.
They say the victim and Jackson are acquaintances.
The victim immediately reported what happened to university housing staff who then contacted police.
According to the arrest report, the victim told police Jackson forced her into a room and tried forcing her to perform a sexual act.
She told police that during the attack she told Jackson "no" several times in different ways.
Later in the day, Jackson was at Tampa International Airport getting ready to board his scheduled flight to go home since it was the end of spring semester. Police say Jackson was not attempting to get out of town because of the incident. He answered a phone call from the USF police and he did not board his flight and stayed at the airport until detectives arrived to arrest him. When police arrived, he was taken into custody.
According to the USF football roster, Jackson is a junior at USF. Last season he appeared in seven games for the Bulls.
USF administration released a statement saying that Jackson has been removed from all activities at this time. "When the university learns of an arrest, the student involved may be subject to discipline in accordance with USF’s Student Code of Conduct. State and federal privacy laws protecting the confidentiality of student records, including disciplinary actions, prevent the university from commenting further about the matter involving Jackson."
The USF Student Code of Conduct can be found by clicking here.
USF head football coach Charlie Strong released the following statement on the incident:
“We are aware of the charges filed against LaDarrius Jackson. While we find the allegations troubling, we will continue to gather information and support the judicial process before providing further comment. The student-athlete has been removed from all team activities at this time.”
Jackson remains in jail.
