Update at of April 15 at 6:45 p.m.: James V. Hood has been formally charged with sodomy in the first degree by the Adair County prosecuting attorney.
Tyler Gregory, Adair County Corrections Officer, says that Hood is currently under in the custody of the sheriff’s department.
As of April 15 at 3:15 p.m.: James V. Hood, a 39-year-old Kirksville resident who works in the Student Union Building, was arrested on suspicion of sodomy in the first degree at about 4:30 p.m. yesterday. He is a suspect in an alleged sexual assault occurring on the first floor of the SUB Wednesday evening.
Sara Holzmeier, Truman State’s Department of Public Safety director, says Hood is being held at the Adair County Detention Center, and by 4:30 p.m. this afternoon he either will be released or the Adair County prosecuting attorney will issue formal charges.
Local police took Hood into custody on a 24-hour hold, giving investigators 24 hours to establish probable cause to the prosecuting attorney and the court, Holzmeier says. Then it will be up to the prosecutor to decide what charges, if any, to bring Hood in on, says Holzmeier.
“This is [Hood’s] first offense to my knowledge,” Holzmeier says. “The victim and [Hood] were known to each other, so we had his name to start out with. We completed our investigation and got statements from witnesses and the alleged victim, then went to speak with him yesterday afternoon.”
Holzmeier says if a major crime happens on campus, campus property or property affiliated with Truman, federal law requires her to notify Truman students and staff. The alleged sexual assault in the SUB Wednesday and the alleged sexual assault at a fraternity house on Michigan Street Sunday met these federal guidelines, she says.
Holzmeier says because these two crime reports were sent out in such a short period of time, there might appear to be a spike in sexual assaults. However, she says there are other crimes that happen which she is not legally required to report.
“I feel confident in saying we have a very safe campus and we’re in a very safe community here in Kirksville,” Holzmeier says.
Investigations for the alleged sexual assault at a Michigan Street fraternity house are ongoing with further details not yet available.
The Truman Media Network will provide further updates when more information becomes available.