Florida Teen Arrested for Sexual Assault at Phillips Exeter Academy

EXETER, NH – A former Phillips Exeter Academy student was arrested for sexual assault last month as part of the ongoing investigation into sexual assaults and misconduct at the prestigious preparatory school.

Chukwudi Ikpeazu, 18, of Parkland, FL, was arrested on June 3, 2016, for sexual assault-forcible fondling.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by reports online. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the name removal request process for NH Patch police reports.

Ikpeazu, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader, is due in court in August.

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Information about the arrest of Ikpeazu, which was not sent to media outlets like other sexual assault allegations at the school, was highlighted in a Boston Globe Spotlight piece yesterday, after a 17-year-old victim came forward to share her story about a groping and assault incident on campus last year.

The incident was never reported to police since the school minister reportedly arranged an agreement between the victim and Ikpeazu, where he would bake bread for the victim for the rest of the year, as a penance. The report noted that the plan backfired when the victim became “increasingly stressed” after accepting the repeated bread deliveries.

“All the while, Chudi went about his life as track captain, senior class leader, and dorm proctor,” according to the article.

However, after the nation’s attention turned to the sexual assault trial and conviction of Owen Labrie, and later, sexual misconduct allegations at Phillips Exeter Academy, too, the victim came forward to speak with police.

Ikpeazu is the second person formally arrested after an allegation was raised as a part of the ongoing investigation into misconduct at the school.

Arthur Peekel, 74, of Palatine, IL, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor sexual assault after he turned himself in to Exeter police May 13. The former Teacher of the Year in Illinois recently pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Steve Lewis, a photography teacher, and chairman of the art department at the academy, was fired in April after he reportedly admitted to a sexual encounter with a student at the school. The statute of limitations had expired so no criminal charges were filed.