Four men, including two Morgan State University band members and the band's former drum major, have been arrested after a woman said they held her down and sexually assaulted her in a Northeast Baltimore apartment complex.
Renard James, 30, Dante Green, 24, Dale Lawton, 23, and Howard Smith Cook, 21, were each arrested July 12 and charged with eight counts of sex offense, assault, perverted practice and conspiracy charges. They are being held without bail.
According to court records, the alleged assault took place June 30 in the 6500 block of McClean Blvd., in Cook's apartment in the Hamilton Hills neighborhood. The victim told police that the men forcibly removed her pants and held her down, performing sex acts on her. She said she was bitten on the breast, face and vaginal areas, according to court records.
James, a former drum major, is listed on the Morgan State University band's website as the percussion coordinator, though in court records he claimed to be unemployed, with his last job at a Circuit City. Lawton and Cook each told court officials that they were students at Morgan State, and on their Facebook pages they list "marching band" as an activity.
A woman who identified herself as the band's assistant director said none of the three is currently affiliated with the band but declined to answer questions. But a spokesman for the university confirmed that two of the men were current members and the other two were former members. Spokesman Clinton Coleman said James has been a volunteer with the band.
"The University is saddened to learn of the assault that apparently took place recently, allegedly by two former and two current band members," Coleman said in a statement. "We are all diminished whenever charges such as these are leveled against any of our students but it is especially troubling when these allegations describe behavior that falls so significantly short of our expectations."
Coleman said the university will conduct an investigation, and that though the alleged incident occurred off campus, the current students would still be held to the university's code of conduct.
"The community can be assured that the University does not tolerate such serious violations of its code of personal conduct as have been described in this situation," he said. "If these allegations are investigated and prove to be true, our voices will be among the loudest to call for swift and certain justice."
Green is listed in court records as a security guard. He was charged in 2007 with attempted carjacking and convicted of attempted theft in Baltimore County, receiving 18 months' probation.
Each defendant is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Aug. 10 in District Court.
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