A Madison man was arrested Friday after a University of Maine at Farmington student accused him of unwanted sexual contact.
The Sun Journal reports that Ashton A. Heald, 19, was charged with felony unlawful sexual contact after he turned himself into campus police last week. The alleged sexual contact happened in April.
Heald and the victim, who are both students at the university, knew each other, the newspaper reports. The victim reported the alleged contact to campus police, who then turned the case over to the Franklin County district attorney’s office after conducting an investigation, the Sun Journal reports.
Heald was released from the Franklin County Detention Center on $250 bail. He is scheduled to appear in a Farmington courthouse on Aug. 6.
Heald was prohibited from having contact with the victim, who was granted a two-year protection from abuse order, and he was barred from university property, according to the Sun Journal.
[UMF takes ‘immediate steps’ to ensure safety after multiple women say student assaulted them]
The University of Maine at Farmington came under fire earlier this year after two women who attended the school told the BDN how the university failed them after they were raped.
In an email to students, staff, alumni and others following the publication of the BDN article, the university’s interim president, Eric Brown, said that the students “showed great courage in opening an especially difficult chapter of their lives to public scrutiny” and that their stories speak to larger issues that the school wanted to address.
The university held a number of forums to address concerns from students, faculty and staff, and to announce plans to improve safety for students.
If you or someone you know needs resources or support related to sexual violence, contact the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s 24/7 hotline at 800-871-7741.