UF releasing little information about campus rape

Updated at 3:00 p.m. on July 12 with statement from UF spokesman

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida Public Safety Facebook page regularly alerts campus residents to incidents on campus. In the past month, the page has sent alerts about a scooter that was stolen from Shands, severe thunderstorms, hurricane preparedness, and a report of a shooter at Library West that was later determined to be a hoax.

The university’s Timely Warning page states that it “issues Timely Warning messages regarding Clery Act crimes which pose a serious and continuing threat to the campus community”; sexual offenses such as rape as required to be reported under the Clery Act.

On Saturday afternoon, Parker Siegel, a 19-year-old sophomore whose major is computer science, was arrested for raping a minor in a dorm on campus. No Timely Warning was issued, and the university and its police department have released almost no information about the incident.

UF spokesman Steve Orlando told Alachua Chronicle that the university was not required to give a Timely Warning about the alleged rape because law enforcement took the suspect into custody quickly; Orlando said Timely Warnings are only required for ongoing threats.

It is still unknown whether the victim was a student who has not yet turned 18, a visitor to campus, or someone attending a summer program or camp on campus.

Orlando, the first person we reached out to for comment on Monday, told us on Tuesday evening that more information cannot be released right now because the incident is still under investigation by the University of Florida Police Department.

The initial response from a university spokeswoman to our request for information about the incident included only the following:

“The University of Florida takes all allegations of sexual assault very seriously, and we are committed to providing an environment where students, faculty and staff are safe from all types of sexual misconduct.

“The person in question has been issued a trespass warning by the University of Florida Police Department which bars him from campus.

“The University of Florida provides support to those individuals who experience sexual misconduct and encourages anyone with information regarding incidents of sexual misconduct to report it. The University of Florida responds to each report immediately. Here is a step-by-step outline of the process.

“In addition, numerous resources are available for the UF community, including but not limited to, emotional support, counseling, medical, crisis and emergency assistance. We encourage anyone who is a victim of violence to report it immediately and seek support.”

When we asked more specific questions, we received only confirmation that Siegel is a student and that his major is computer science. Our other questions were referred to the University of Florida Police Department (UFPD).

Our call to UFPD was routed to Captain Latrell Simmons, the Public Information Officer, and we left a message on his phone and also sent him an email. We have received no response from UFPD.

We also received no response from the State Attorney’s Office about Siegel’s criminal history, but according to Alachua County court records, Siegel posted $100,000 bail on Sunday and was released.