ASMSU official faces sexual assault charge

Scarlett could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on single count

An ASMSU official was arrested Wednesday and charged with third-degree criminal sexual assault in connection with a February incident on campus.

Scarlett

Nigel Scarlett, Student Assembly vice chairperson for external affairs, could face up to 15 years in prison if he’s convicted of the charge.

ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

A then-21-year-old woman reported that an acquaintance drugged her at a Lansing nightclub Feb. 24, took her to an unknown MSU residence hall and sexually assaulted her early that morning. The woman has no MSU affiliation. Scarlett is charged in connection with that incident.

“I’m very saddened and very surprised, but I have no doubt that justice will take its proper course,” Scarlett said.

Scarlett directed other questions related to the arrest to his lawyer, Patrick Eagan.

He was arraigned and released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond Wednesday. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at East Lansing’s 54-B District Court and a preliminary examination is scheduled for Thursday.

“The charging document indicates that it’s sexual penetration when the defendant knows or has reason to know the victim is physically helpless,” said Lisa McCormick, a child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence chief for the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office.

MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said when the woman contacted police, she was too incapacitated to identify the residence hall where the reported assault took place.

But through investigation, the site of the reported drugging was identified as Déjà Vu nightclub, 1000 W. Jolly Road, in Lansing, and the location of the reported assault was identified as South Hubbard Hall, McGlothian-Taylor said.

“The detectives that were involved in this worked very diligently in terms of interviewing witnesses and possible suspects, and worked with the victim to bring about an arrest,” McGlothian-Taylor said.

At the time of the assault, Scarlett lived in South Hubbard Hall, but he has since moved off campus. McGlothian-Taylor said she couldn’t confirm Scarlett’s room number but could identify the room where the reported assault occurred.

Scarlett said the move from South Hubbard Hall to a Lansing residence is not related to the charges filed against him.

McGlothian-Taylor said the woman received medical tests at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital following the reported assault. She added that police do not have the test results and they will not be released to the public.

According to previous police reports, the woman said she met the man early during the week of the assault and agreed to join him for drinks Saturday, Feb. 23.

McGlothian-Taylor said the suspect told the victim he was not an MSU student and didn’t live in Michigan.

The victim reportedly met the suspect at The Post Bar, 213 Ann St., and accompanied him to Déjà Vu when The Post Bar closed.

The woman reported that she believes her drink was drugged at Déjà Vu before she was taken to Hubbard Hall and assaulted sometime between 4:15 and 8 a.m., McGlothian-Taylor said.

Scarlett was previously charged in connection with a July 5 assault of a 26-year-old man in downtown East Lansing.

The charge was later dismissed.

Eagan said Scarlett is innocent and that he is confident the sexual assault charge will be dismissed.

“Our investigation is just getting underway,” Eagan said. “Once our investigation is complete, I expect that (the charge) will be dismissed.”

ASMSU Student Assembly Chairperson Michael Leahy, who was in Washington, D.C., on Thursday said he knows few details about the case and is unsure of Scarlett’s status with ASMSU.

“Without question, one of the things that’s obviously very important, all of our staff representatives and officers all need to be able to meet the requirements of the job,” Leahy said.

Leahy said Scarlett was able to carry out his duties when he faced the separate assault charge last year.

The ASMSU budget allocates $6,912 per year for Scarlett’s salary.

He has held his position as Student Assembly’s vice chairperson for external affairs since February.

Staff writer Heather Guenther contributed to this report.