The sexual assault charges brought against former Cornell basketball forward Xavier Eaglin ’19 in March 2016 have been dismissed.
After more than a year had elapsed since the charges were filed, Eaglin successfully moved to have his charges dismissed in April 2017. All photos of him and fingerprints taken after his arrest will be destroyed or returned to him, and all records of his arrest will be sealed, according to court documents.
Eaglin was charged and arrested by Cornell University Police Department on March 6, 2016 for charges including first degree rape and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation. The alleged sexual assault took place in February of that year.
“We are just thankful justice prevailed and that we can start repairing our lives,” said Eaglin’s mother Clara Eaglin.
Although Eaglin no longer faces criminal charges, he will not be able to return to Cornell. After his arrest, Eaglin was dismissed from the basketball team and banned from campus. He spent seven days in jail before he was bailed out by his parents and then returned home to Texas, where he has since continued education at a local junior college.
The alleged assault, which drew widespread media attention, came within weeks of sexual assault charges against Wolfgang Ballinger ’17. In April, Ballinger was sentenced to six years of probation.
The Tompkins County District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.