HAMMOND, La. — Authorities say a man is in custody, accused of abducting and raping a student on Southeastern Louisiana University's campus on Thursday morning.
According to the university's police department, the unidentified victim was abducted from a parking lot on the edge of campus around 8 a.m. and was sexually assaulted at gunpoint. The suspect then returned to the parking lot and dropped the victim off after the rape.
Investigators say the victim then went home and called the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office to report the sexual assault, then went to North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond for an evaluation.
University police arrested 19-year-old Demetris Harris at an apartment complex off Highway 51 after his car was spotted in the area. The Hammond Police Department's street crimes unit and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office assisted in the arrest.
Authorities say Harris is not a student at Southeastern and is from Jackson, Ms. He was booked on charges of aggravated kidnapping, first-degree rape and possession of a firearm in a firearm free zone.
“I’m glad we got somebody in custody quickly. But when you have events like this, one is too many. You want that number zero," Southeastern University Police Chief Michael Beckner said. "So, we’ve got to remember the victim of this. And we’ve also got to let our students know that there’s a lot of resources on campus if you know, feel like they’re traumatized by this event.”
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Southeastern Louisiana Police Department at 985-549-2222 and ask for Investigator Mike Aleman who is the lead investigator.
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