Carleton College football player charged with assault
A Carleton College football player has been charged with one count of third-degree sexual assault.
The criminal complaint filed in Rice County District Court said Taariq Vanegas, 19, of Seattle, Wash., had sex with a classmate after a hazing ritual.
During the event in the early hours of April 28, the woman said they drank wine, jello shots, hard liquor and beer, while being initiated into a group called DTX.
The event would later result in Carleton suspending 13 students.
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At some point during the night, the woman said she blacked out.
She said she remembers stumbling, and Vanegas helping her up, and then being in bed with him. She told investigators she woke up in the dorm room of two complete strangers who called campus security, saying she was very intoxicated.
Vanegas told police she'd agreed to have sex with him and said she initiated the romantic counter earlier in the night.
An attorney for Vanegas did not respond to a request for comment.
Carleton College confirmed Vanegas was a student during spring term this year, but not would comment more about the case.
The college also said in a statement that it has "strong policies and procedures for responding to all forms of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault. These include substantial resources devoted to supporting students who report sexual assault."