Student arrested on charges of sexual assault and burglary

Kamal Aqui '03 was arrested yesterday on charges of aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact and burglary, according to Borough Police Capt. Charles Davall.

Police said they believe Aqui entered a Forbes dorm room at about 4 a.m. last Friday morning and sexually assaulted an 18-year-old female University student who lives there.

Aqui, whom police believe has no prior criminal record, admitted during police questioning to entering the room and sexually assaulting the victim, Davall said.

Aqui could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The victim, who police would not identify, was sleeping in the room along with her boyfriend at the time of the alleged incident, Davall said.

Aqui — who police believe was intoxicated at the time — allegedly climbed into the bed of the sleeping female resident and sexually molested her, according to Davall.

He also allegedly committed aggravated sexual assault during the incident, Davall said, explaining that particular charge is filed in incidents when sexual penetration is believed to have occurred.

The victim's boyfriend awoke during the alleged incident and saw the suspect molesting his girlfriend, Davall said.

The boyfriend allegedly confronted the suspect, who then fled the room, Davall said.

Public Safety contacted Borough Police shortly after the alleged incident. While the police investigation was pending, authorities categorized the incident as a burglary only and would not release the suspect's name.

During the investigation, the victim's boyfriend told authorities that he believed the suspect to be a University student. The boyfriend was then able to identify a suspect for police using a University facebook.

"He didn't know the student by name," Davall said, adding that he believed the victim and her boyfriend did not know the suspect personally.

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Police have collected other evidence connected with this incident that is still being evaluated, Davall said. "We decided not to wait until the other evidence had been examined. We knew who the suspect was and we acted," he said.

Aqui is from Silver Springs, Md., and lives in Forbes. As of 7 p.m., he was being held in Princeton Borough Police Jail on $25,000 bail, police said.

If convicted, Aqui could face fines, probation or as many as 20 years in prison, according to the New Jersey State Criminal Code.

The $25,000 bail, Davall said, is not unusual in this type of case.

"One of the things that comes into play is that he's an out-of-state resident," Davall said. "[The judge] looks at the strength of the case and flight risks and then sets bail in the range that the law gives."

University spokeswoman Marilyn Marks said, as of yesterday evening, the University has not planned any formal response to this alleged incident.

"At this point I don't know of anything that is planned," Marks said. "The [victim's] door was unlocked and the University wants to continue to advise students to always lock their doors."

Outside of the criminal court process, Aqui may face University disciplinary action, Marks said. "The University has a discipline process that is separate and runs parallel to any outside criminal process," she said.

According to Rights, Rules, Responsibilities, if found guilty by the Committee on Discipline, Aqui could face suspension, required withdrawal or expulsion.