Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL) Copyright: 2003 The Gainesville Sun Contact: http://www.sunone.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/163 Forum: http://gainesvillesunforums.colony1.net/ Author: Kathy Ciotola Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration) STUDENT IN JAIL FOR DRUGS IS RAPED The Teen's Cell Mate Faces Battery Charges. An Alachua County college student in jail on marijuana charges was raped over the weekend by his cell mate, a man already being held on sexual battery charges, authorities said Monday. The 19-year-old student was serving four weekends in jail on charges of delivering marijuana, said Alachua County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Troiano. Last weekend was the first weekend of his sentence. His cell mate held a ballpoint pen to the teenager's neck at about 9 p.m. Friday and then forced himself on him, Troiano said. A member of the victim's family reported the incident to authorities on Saturday. Jail detention officers, who check the cells at least once an hour, heard nothing and nothing was reported to them Friday, Troiano said. Randolph Jackson, 35, was charged with sexual battery. Jackson has been in jail since July on charges of sexual battery in a different case that is still pending. The two were put in a cell together because they were both charged with felonies, Troiano said. Also, there was very little room in the jail last weekend, Troiano added. There were 918 inmates and the jail's capacity is 920. "If there was space available, absolutely we would rather keep our weekenders in a pre-designated area," Troiano said. "But because we don't have much space available we have to do with circumstances on hand." Inmates are assigned to cells based on their charges, their history and other factors, he said. These two inmates were being held in a two-man cell in pod 1-B. Inmates who are awaiting trial or who don't yet have a jail classification are kept in this section, Troiano said. Jail officials don't house inmates who are charged with misdemeanors, which are less serious crimes, with those who have felony charges, he said. Troiano said this was the first sexual battery reported at the jail in the memory of jail officials. Jackson never showed any signs of having sexual tendencies toward other inmates, Troiano added. He has since been moved to his own cell. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl