December trial set for UNC player accused of sexual battery
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. - A North Carolina football player charged with misdemeanor sexual battery and assault on a fellow student is scheduled for trial in December.
During a brief court hearing Thursday, attorneys reserved the weeks of Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 for the case against Allen Artis, a junior reserve linebacker suspended indefinitely from the team.
According to an arrest warrant, Artis had sex with the student against her will in February when he ''should have reasonably known that the other person was mentally incapacitated and physically helpless.'' The warrant also said he pulled on her bra strap ''causing an indentation on her shoulder/back'' during the encounter.
Artis has said the two had consensual sex, saying that he neither drugged nor raped her. One of his attorneys has also said he passed a polygraph test.
The woman, Delaney Robinson, and her attorney attended the brief hearing. She said earlier this month she had become intoxicated after being out with friends and was unable to consent to having sex. The Associated Press typically doesn't identify people who say they are the victims of sexual assault, but Robinson held a Sept. 13 news conference, saying she had filed for the misdemeanor charges after police and prosecutors indicated there wasn't enough evidence to pursue felony charges.
Her attorney, Denise Branch, has also criticized the way campus police handled a rape kit and the questioning of Artis, who is from Marietta, Georgia.
Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall has said the case remains open. He also attended the hearing and has taken the lead in the misdemeanor case.
Artis' indefinitely suspension was the result of an automatic university policy when an athlete is charged with a misdemeanor. Any reinstatement would come after a review from athletic director Bubba Cunningham, head coach Larry Fedora and school officials.
Artis has played in 27 career games as a reserve and on special teams with 20 tackles. He last practiced Sept. 11, two days before Robinson's news conference, and said he is still attending classes and plans to graduate in May.