Two football recruits were arrested and charged with burglary and sexual abuse in connection with an alleged incident in January when the men were visiting the University and staying at Barnhart Hall, Eugene Police Department spokeswoman Kerry Delf said.
Marvin Johnson, 18, of Compton, Calif., who signed a letter of intent to play with the University, and Major Marquis Culbert, 18, of San Pedro, Calif., who eventually signed with Nebraska, both pleaded not guilty.
The men are accused of groping two female residents in a Barnhart Hall room on Jan. 14. During the incident, the women allegedly asked the men to leave, which they refused to do, and the burglary charges stem from their alleged refusal, according to an article Thursday in The Register-Guard.
While University officials and EPD will not discuss specifics of the incident, the lead EPD detective in the investigation, Ralph Burks, told the Daily Breeze newspaper that the charges filed do not mean the men raped the women, according to a Tuesday article in the Los Angeles paper.
Both crimes classify as Measure 11 mandatory minimum sentences, and if convicted, the men could face six years and three months in prison.
Culbert was arrested May 15 in Los Angeles and released four days later with an agreement to appear in Lane County Circuit Court next week.
After learning of Culbert’s arrest, Johnson turned himself over to authorities and appeared in circuit court Wednesday. Johnson was released without bail.
A trial will be set after June 28, the pair’s plea-bargaining deadline, if they choose not to make a deal with the district attorney’s office, according to The Register-Guard article.
After learning of the Jan. 14 incident from the Department of Public Safety two weeks after it happened, the University’s Athletics Department stopped recruiting Culbert. Because the initial investigation showed Johnson, who was 17 years old at the time, wasn’t directly involved, he was allowed to sign a letter of intent on Feb. 1, according to an Athletics Department press release.
“The athletic department takes this issue very seriously and the University is monitoring the situation closely,” according to the release. “Johnson’s status with the football program, as well as the University, will be dependent upon his exoneration of these charges.”
After learning of Culbert’s arrest, the Nebraska football program suspended his scholarship offer, according to the Daily Breeze article.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.