A Georgia Southern University student was arrested over the weekend on rape and aggravated assault charges after an incident that took place in an apartment complex near campus, authorities said.
Paul Curtis Costley, 20, of Statesboro, was arrested after the victim reported the alleged incident early Saturday at the Cambridge at Southern: The Pines complex, Statesboro police said in a news release.
The apartment complex advertises itself as a place "designed for students at Georgia Southern University," according to its website. It is located across the street from campus.
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Georgia Southern police were initially called to the scene before they called Statesboro police to take over the investigation just before 3 a.m., the release said. The victim told authorities she knew Costley and that he sexually assaulted her.
After a forensic examination of the victim was conducted, officers executed a search warrant at the student’s apartment, the report said. The information led to Costley’s arrest later Saturday, according to Bulloch County Jail records.
Jennifer Wise, director of communication at Georgia Southern, told AJC.com that Costley is a current student, but she was not able to confirm whether the victim is also a student.
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“This isn’t our case. It is being handled by the Statesboro Police Department, so I do not have information on the victim to be able to confirm whether or not they are a student,” she said in a statement.
The apartment complex provided a statement on the incident that said, in part: “Our highest priority is the safety and security of our residents ... We will terminate the occupancy of any resident involved in criminal acts or otherwise threatening the safety of the community, and have taken appropriate action in this case.”
AJC.com has reached out to the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office and Statesboro police for more information. Costley’s booking photo was obtained by several local media outlets.
This incident took place the day before a 20-year-old University of Georgia student reported that she was sexually assaulted near campus.
The report led to police obtaining rape and sexual battery warrants against 19-year-old Dionicio Guadarrama, who was still on the loose Wednesday afternoon. He is not a UGA student.
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Anyone with information about the Georgia Southern case is asked to contact detectives at 912-764-9911.
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