Florida

FAU Student Arrested for Alleged Sexual Assault

A Florida Atlantic University student was arrested after he was accused of groping a female student and trying to force her to have sex in his dorm room.

FAU Police said the crime happened Monday at the University Village Apartments. Police said the woman had been sprayed by sprinklers earlier and was invited by Cassander Fadael, 21, to come to his dorm room to dry off.

The woman told police she reluctantly went with him but said she told Fadeal she didn’t want to have sex. Police said Fadeal groped the woman and tried to have sex with her.

“It happened right there and it could have happened to any one of us,” said Serena Diaco. “She was just walking home one night."

Fadael was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and later released on bond. It was unknown if he has an attorney.

The alleged sexual assault at Florida Atlantic comes just days after Florida International University announced that a serial butt grabber on campus had struck again last weekend. FIU said the butt grabber has struck multiple times since earlier this year.

At the University of Florida, there have been a string of vicious attacks with authorities now warning students of a white male who is attacking his victims from behind.

The sexual assaults also came as the White House rolled out a campaign called “It’s On Us” to try to shine a light on the epidemic of sex crimes on campuses across the country.

According to the White House, one in five women are sexually assaulted in college, most often when they are a sophomore and usually by someone they know. The White House also said that only 13 percent of rape survivors report their assault.

The end goal of the president’s plan is to make school’s more accountable for what’s going on with their students. FAU said they are putting a greater emphasis on prevention and want people to know there’s a zero tolerance for sexual assault on campus.

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