SMETHPORT – Following a day-and-a-half jury trial earlier this
week, a former student at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
was cleared of rape and sexual assault charges in McKean County
Court.
Public Defender Ron Langella explained Thursday that Augustus
McIntosh, 21, of Ewing, N.J., was found to be innocent of all
counts lodged against him, which included rape, sexual assault and
indecent assault.
“He’s a black student from Liberia who is now living in New
Jersey with his mother, who is a U.S. citizen,” Langella explained.
“He was here to study sociology.
“He was accused of rape and sexual assault against a white girl
who was also a Pitt student,” he said.
The alleged incident was said to have taken place on Sept. 13,
2004, near the beginning of the fall semester in McIntosh’s dorm
room on campus. Langella explained that McIntosh said the sexual
contact was consensual, while the female student said it was
not.
McIntosh was suspended from Pitt-Bradford because of the alleged
incident, Langella said.
At the time of the incident, Pitt-Bradford President Dr.
Livingston Alexander said the university had notified the students
and staff of the incident by e-mail and said that “the alleged
offender” would not be able to re-enter the campus.
When asked whether McIntosh would challenge the university’s
decision now that he has been proven innocent, Langella said,
“Based upon what’s happened, he’s looking into attending college
closer to where he’s living in New Jersey. To get a fresh start and
to put all this behind him.”
Langella added that he was not familiar with the university’s
disciplinary process, but “the standard of proof in every
(criminal) case is ‘guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.’ I’m not sure
what standard of proof they held him to.”
Explaining the proceedings in the trial that took place Monday
and part of the day Tuesday, Langella said, “It was your classic
‘he said, she said.’ The jury said there was not proof beyond a
reasonable doubt that he had sexually assaulted her.”
According to court records, McIntosh had only been in the
country for about 30 days when the alleged incident occurred.
The case was prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney
Christa Schott.
