A former Barton College soccer player has recently been charged with raping a woman last August.
Police say shortly before 10 p.m. on Aug. 11, officers responded to an Anderson Street home regarding a sexual assault.
Officers spoke with a woman who said she had been sexually assaulted by an acquaintance earlier that day, according to Sgt. Steve Stroud. The woman told police that 19-year-old Iuri Aleixo came into her home to retrieve some personal property and that during the encounter, he “forcibly assaulted her,” according to police.
After conducting an investigation, police arrested Aleixo, whose listed address of 800 Vance St. is the same as Barton College, on Jan. 23.
He is charged with second-degree forcible rape and was jailed under a $10,000 secured bond.
Police investigated the case to a point “where leads and follow-up actions were completed and a decision was made to present the case to the magistrate for review on the evidence obtained,” Stroud said in reference to the five months between the alleged incident and Aleixo’s arrest.
Kathy Daughety, Barton College’s director of public relations, told The Wilson Times that Aleixo is currently enrolled at the school, but is no longer on the soccer team.
Daughety would not say whether Barton College conducted an internal investigation. The Barton College student handbook lists policies and procedures for Title IX investigations when a student is accused of sexual assault or sexual harassment.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities. Under Title IX, discrimination on the basis of sex can include sexual harassment or sexual violence.
“It should be noted that the safety, security and privacy of Barton students are our top priorities at the college,” Daughety said. “In keeping with these priorities, Barton College’s policies and procedures are consistent with such federal law as Title IX and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The college, in accordance with federal laws, is not at liberty to discuss other information related to its students.”
Aleixo is a sophomore midfielder who started his second season on the Barton men’s soccer team in 2017-18. He grew up in Porto Seguro, Brazil, and attended high school at Centro Educacional Charles Darwin, according to the Barton College athletics website.
Aleixo’s next court appearance on the rape charge is scheduled in July.