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Man accused of 2016 rape of William & Mary student found guilty, sentenced to 20 years in prison

Posted at 3:39 PM, Sep 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-26 15:39:35-04

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The man accused of raping a William & Mary student in December 2016 was found guilty in James City County Circuit Court Wednesday.

Jerome White

Jerome White will serve five years in the penitentiary for rape and 15 years for object sexual penetration by force for a total sentence of 20 years.

In 2016, police said the investigation began after an officer noticed a college-aged woman walking down Scotland Street with White around 2:30 a.m. on the night of the alleged incident.

The officer stopped to help and as he approached the two, White walked away, leaving the woman alone. The officer then escorted the woman, who was a student, back home.

Forty-five minutes later, the student made the allegations. Major Greg Riley with the Williamsburg Police Department said the student most likely didn’t come forward sooner out of fear.

Police said White was quickly arrested partly because the officer had seen him with the woman earlier. White was arrested after an interview and was charged with one count of rape.

White pleaded not guilty to a rape by force/threat charge in 2017 and was denied bond.

Related: 

Man pleads not guilty to rape charge of William & Mary student

Man charged for allegedly raping student in Williamsburg