Man Charged With Rape At Northwestern Violates Bond, Stays Free

EVANSTON, IL — The New Jersey man charged with raping an incapacitated fellow Northwestern University freshman in March on the school's Evanston campus was allowed to remain free Thursday after prosecutors said he violated the terms of his pre-trial release.

Scott Thomas, 20, of Bernardsville, faces 64 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse. According to the charges, he kidnapped and raped the woman, who prosecutors said was highly intoxicated and unable to give consent, causing cuts, bruises and scratches.

Thomas has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorneys have described the encounter as consensual. Prosecutors say surveillance video on campus shows the woman was unable to walk and appeared "lifeless" at the Jacobs Center, 2001 Sheridan Road. Witnesses who reported the incident to university security heard the woman pleading with Thomas to stop, according to prosecutors.

A judge increased the cash portion of his bond from $5,000 to $21,000 after prosecutors said he tested positive for drugs in violation of the terms of his bail, Pioneer Press reported. Thomas produced a positive test for THC in April, weeks after a different judge took him off electronic monitoring and allowed him to leave the state and move back in with his parents.

According to his attorney, Thomas was "suspended" from Northwestern after his arrest. University spokespeople have not responded to repeated queries as to whether he remains enrolled in the school. Thomas initially hired a Northwestern law professor to defend him, but the defense attorney stepped down at a hearing last month, citing a conflict of interest.

Cook County Associate Judge Lauren Edidin told Thomas he was "very fortunate" not to be in jail, warning he could be sent to Cook County Jail if he again violates the terms of his bail, according to the Evanston Review.

Earlier:

• Ex-Northwestern Student Indicted On 64 Counts Of Sexual Assault
• Accused Of Rape, Northwestern Student To Return To New Jersey
• Northwestern Freshman Raped By Student On Campus: Prosecutors