No charges for KU fraternity in first of two 2014 sexual assault cases

Members of a University of Kansas fraternity put on probation by the university more than two years ago for allegations of sexual assaults following a fall party will not be prosecuted.

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson, said Thursday that no criminal charges are being filed in one of the cases which KU officials at the time called “serious and disturbing.”

The non-fraternity approved freshman party took place at the Kappa Sigma house during homecoming weekend in September 2014.

“There was no evidence a sexual assault occurred,” Branson said told the Lawrence Journal-World on Thursday.

He said that law enforcement officials had talked with the victim and reviewed police reports and while the victim wanted to move forward, she “understood that there was no case to prosecute under the circumstances.” He said “there was no physical evidence of sexual assault or drugging.”

Branson’s account was that a male and a female at the party had been drinking and talking. The girl passed out. The young man said he left the girl asleep and covered on a couch and when to sleep in another room. She said she woke in a hallway on another floor of the building.

The university and criminal investigations were separate.

University officials said at the time that they placed the fraternity on probation after finding that it had violated KU’s Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

The sanctions imposed during the two-year probation included a ban on alcohol in the chapter house. And the fraternity was required to provide multiple mandatory training sessions for all members in prevention of sexual assault and harassment. Members were allowed by its national chapter to continue living in the house. The university probation was lifted in December.

Members of the fraternity, which bills itself on its national website as “the largest college social fraternity in the world with more than 200,000 living members,” could not be reached Thursday for comment.

KU officials also were not available Thursday.

The Journal-World reported that Lawrence police are still investigating a second case of alleged sexual assault at the same fraternity house during the same weekend.

This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 5:20 PM with the headline "No charges for KU fraternity in first of two 2014 sexual assault cases."