Penn State undergraduate Andrew W. Long, a member of the university’s national-championship wrestling team, has been charged with attempted rape, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault in State College, court documents show.
A woman in the Highlands neighborhood awoke about 3 a.m. Friday to find Long, 22, in bed with her and touching her intimately, according to a criminal complaint filed by municipal police.
She realized that ‘her underwear had been removed without her knowledge,’ the complaint shows. Long refused to leave and cursed at her when she told him to get out, it says.
The woman grabbed some clothes and her cell phone, ran from the home and called for help, according to the complaint. She recalled that Long was mostly undressed, it says.
She had met him socially in the home late Thursday, when several people were in the residence, the complaint shows. It also indicates that she and Long had only ‘a very short conversation’ at that point and had not met before then.
After the social interaction, Long left the residence with a couple others, according to statements made to police. He apparently returned by himself later in the night, shortly before the assault was reported, information in the complaint shows.
Contacted by authorities, Long ‘indicated that he was not (at the residence) earlier and chose not to speak with police,’ the complaint reads.
Long was arraigned before District Judge Carmine Prestia and sent to the Centre County Correctional Facility, the Daily Collegian reported.
According to the Collegian report, which cites police information, Long was released Saturday on $100,000 unsecured bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Bellefonte.
Attempts by StateCollege.com to reach Long on Monday morning were not immediately successful. Penn State wrestling spokesman Pat Donghia said the program is aware of the complaint but not making any further comment right now.
Long came to Penn State in 2010 after being recruited by head wrestling Coach Cael Sanderson, according to an earlier Centre Daily Times report. Formerly a wrestler at Iowa State, Long was dismissed from that school’s team after being arrested twice; both incidents were tied to alleged alcohol-related offenses, the CDT reported.
At Penn State, Long has earned standing as a 2011 NCAA All-American and Big Ten champion wrestler. He placed third in the 133-pound weight class at the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, according to Examiner.com. The Penn State team won the national title in those championships, held in March in Philadelphia.
On the academic side, Long is studying communication arts and sciences, according to a Penn State directory.
Earlier report
