Ole Miss freshman football player Bobby Hill was charged and arrested for sexual battery Tuesday. Hill, 19, was booked in the Lafayette County Detention Center Tuesday and held on a $10,000 bond.
According to a release from the Oxford Police Department, Hill was arrested after the victim reported that she was sexually assaulted and filed charges.
The Daily Mississippian has made a request for the arrest report, but the report was not received by the time of publication.
Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze released a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“We are aware of the situation and recognize the proper authorities are responsible for the matter,” Freeze said in his statement. “Bobby has been indefinitely suspended from all football activities while the process moves forward. We take this very seriously and will make decisions once the course of action is complete.”
Director of Public Relations Danny Blanton said that the administration will proceed according to university policy.
“We take this seriously and will handle it according to the policies and procedures of the university,” Blanton said.
According to Ole Miss’s Violence Prevention Center, which provides education and spreads awareness about dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, the university’s policy “prohibits an individual from subjecting another person to any sexual contact without the consent of the other person. Sexual assault may be committed by acquaintances, dating partners, spouses or strangers. Consent requires a clearly communicated agreement to engage in sexual activity. The individual consenting must act freely and voluntarily and have knowledge of the nature of the act involved. Consent may be withdrawn at any time regardless of the activity preceding the withdrawal of consent.” A spokesperson from the center declined to comment.
A cornerback for the Ole Miss football team, Hill played in 10 games this season, recording one tackle.
He signed with the 2013 recruiting class, considered one of the top classes in the country. Hill was rated a three-star recruit and the No. 93 cornerback in the country by Scout.com. He was named a second team All-state pick as a wide receiver by the Associated Press and Georgia Sportswriters Association.
Hill is from Moultrie, Ga.
The name of the alleged victim has not been released.
— Phil McCausland
thedmnews@gmail.com
