Cornell University police made a drug-related arrest at a fraternity house 22 hours before a former student claimed she was drugged and sexually assaulted there, police records show.
The Cornell Daily Sun reported Saturday that campus police went to the Chi Phi fraternity house shortly after 1 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2024, made a drug-related arrest and referred an individual to the university’s Office of Student Conduct.
The archived police log cited by the Sun and reviewed by NBC News does not identify the individual or the drugs involved or link the drug incident to the alleged assault later that night.
Cornell University had no comment. His police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit last month against the university and seven Chi Phi brothers, alleging she was sexually assaulted for several hours that night while under the influence of ketamine, alcohol and marijuana.
In a police interview conducted after the alleged assault and documented in records obtained by NBC News, a woman told investigators she saw a fraternity member with a bag of ketamine about two months earlier. She also said he had previously overdosed and was transported for treatment. The interview does not establish when this happened or whether she witnessed it.
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in a video message Saturday afternoon that what Jane Doe alleges was “deeply troubling” and raised questions about the investigation that followed.
“I believe we as an administration and as a community need to do better,” he said.
NBC News reported Friday that Cornell police interviewed witnesses and received anonymous tips during the first weeks of their investigation, but Tompkins County Prosecutor Matthew Van Houten did not review that additional information before deciding not to file charges.
Van Houten said he based his decision on Jane Doe’s initial six-page statement to police, which he said did not indicate criminality. Her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said authorities failed to fully investigate and prejudged events based on her statement that she consented to parts of the night.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate.
“In what world does the prosecutor not even question her or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript” of her interview, Hochul asked at a news conference Friday.
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