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Lawsuit against MSU, terrorism threat and assault cases to watch

January 10, 2016

Terrorism threat

MSU student Sydney Gort was charged with two counts of making terrorist threats.

She was was charged in November 2015 for a threat she allegedly made at the MSU School of Packaging just before Thanksgiving and another charge was related to a similar case from April 2015.

Gort’s initial bond was set at $250,000 along with a personal ban from MSU’s campus. In December, 54B District Court Judge Andrea Larkinch reduced Gort’s bond to $25,000 and also allowed Gort to reside with her godmother until her preliminary exam, which will occur on Jan. 21. 

The decision to release Gort came after a psychological exam, which concluded she was of no threat to the public and posed no threat of fleeing.

MSU sued for mishandling sexual assault cases

Emily Kollaritsch, Shayna Gross and two anonymous women sued MSU in November 2015 for allegedly mishandling their sexual assault cases.

Kollaritsch’s case took 285 days to resolve, which far exceeds the 90 day timeframe outlined in MSU’s own policies. Gross’ case took an even longer 485 days. Gross alleged her assault occurred at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house in East Lansing.

In the third case, a woman alleged MSU lost her medical records following her sexual assault and contacted her months later, ruling there were no findings of sexual assault.

In the fourth case, an alleged sexual assailant was expelled from MSU, then allowed to return to attend graduation, which was upsetting the victim. No court dates have been set in the lawsuit, but will be made out of the U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

Spartan Village assault

Early on March 6 2015, just before spring break, 19-year-old human development and family studies sophomore Ryah Kelly was assaulted by five women outside her apartment in Spartan Village. The five defendants are Chinonye Nwangwu, Tierra Hubbard, Madison Reed, Paris Strickland and Brittani Barber-Gribble.

Kelly said the group of women converged on her in the Spartan Village parking lot. She recognized Nwangwu from previous altercations. In court, Kelly said the five women hit, kicked and beat her over the head with a baseball bat and maced her. The women also allegedly stole Kelly’s cell phone and vandalized her car by smashing out the windows and breaking the gas cap off. 

Nwangwu, 19, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and conspiracy to commit assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder in December 2015. She faces up to 10 years in prison and will be sentenced in February 2016 by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina.

The remaining four women await trial in Circuit Court.

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