9 Investigates sex assaults on UCF campus

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A White House report shows, one in five women will be sexually assaulted, while in college. And 9 Investigates uncovered at Florida's largest university, which is also one of the largest in the nation, only one in five alleged sexual assaults results in criminal charges being pursued.

Channel 9's Karla Ray went through dozens of reports of rape at the University of Central Florida, and she asked why none of the men and women accused of sex crimes there during the last five years has been convicted of a sexual assault

Inside one apartment, University of Central Florida police say a female student was found half naked and in pain after allegedly being raped by a Sigma Nu fraternity member in October 2014.

A year and a half earlier -- at an apartment along West Plaza -- investigators say a woman under the influence of cold medicine was nearly raped by a “friend.”

“It doesn't surprise me, that we're still having this issue,” said one rape victim who agreed to speak with Ray.

The woman's story played out at a different university's campus.

“One night I went over to his house like I had in the past and he raped me,” said the woman.

But based on 9 Investigates’ research the outcome of her case was the same.

“They weren't able to press charges against him,” she said.

Ray scoured 51 sex crime incidents from the last five years at UCF. She found only one in five resulted in a request for charges.

“Do you think it sends a message that if you're going to do something like this at UCF, you're going to get away with it?” Ray asked UCF Police Chief Richard Beary.

“I don't believe that,” Beary said. “I think we do a great job conducting these investigations.”

But 9 Investigates dug deeper and discovered that after UCF's investigations ended none of the cases from campus resulted in a successful prosecution of the alleged sex crimes.

“A lot of them involve alcohol and a lot involve people they know, friends,” Beary said

Many cases, including a 2012 incident that allegedly happened inside the Kappa Sigma fraternity house, and a 2011 attempted rape at the “Towers Apartments”  involved both alcohol and friends. And like at least a third of the cases Ray read through, neither of those victims wanted to cooperate.

“You have to have the testimony of ‘I didn't want this,’” said Assistant State Attorney Deb Barra.

Barra oversees the Special Victims Unit for Orange and Osceola counties. She says a victim's cooperation is essential to prosecute campus sexual assault cases.

“Without the victim coming in and being able to go through the process you have nothing,” Barra said.

About 40 percent of the alleged sex crimes are reported to a third party like a counselor or professor on campus, so they're nearly impossible to investigate criminally.

But, Ray found students can also face discipline for violating the university's code of conduct.

Cox Media Group