Jury acquits former U of C student of three felony charges

 A Whitley Circuit Court Jury acquitted a former University of the Cumberlands wrestler on three felony offenses Thursday afternoon, including: unlawful imprisonment, attempted first-degree rape and first-degree criminal mischief.

The two-day trial ended about 2 p.m. when the jury reached the not guilty verdict on the three most serious offenses, but found Carlton J. Thompson, 23, of Georgia, guilty of a misdemeanor offense of third-degree criminal mischief and fined him $250.

Thompson was represented by two local attorneys, B.J. Foley and Paul Croley.

Thompson was a student at the school at the time of the incident but is no longer enrolled there.

The victim testified during a Sept. 13 domestic violence hearing that the two had dated for about 16 months when the incident occurred on Sept. 2 about 3 a.m. in a residence hall parking lot.

Thompson had borrowed her computer earlier in the day and found things on there, which led him to believe she might be cheating on him, the victim testified.

She testified Thompson shoved her in the car, made her take off her clothes, but didn’t have sexual contact with her other than ripping off her a pair of her underwear.

She didn’t yell for help during the incident and he tied her hands up with an XBOX cord and her bra, she testified.

After about three hours Thompson released her, and the two went to the Qwik Shop together to get a soda. Then they went back to her dorm where campus security was present.

The victim testified she didn’t yell for help or report the incident to campus security right away because Thompson was, "calmed down then."

The two text messaged each other later that day.