A man is facing two counts of gross sexual imposition and two counts of rape after a woman reported being sexually assaulted inside Daniels Hall at the University of Cincinnati on September 2. Khamarion Lampkin appeared in court after initially failing to show, posted a $20,000 bond, and was ordered to stay away from both the victim and the university. He now faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
According to WLWT, UC Police took the initial report that led to Lampkin's arrest and first court appearance, and he was released on his own recognizance before a grand jury indicted him on new charges. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said Lampkin appears to be an acquaintance of the victim. Police did not say whether Lampkin is a UC student.
Bond Set After Missed Court Date
Lampkin failed to appear for a scheduled hearing before eventually coming to court, where a judge set the $20,000 bond he went on to post. The judge also ordered him to stay away from the victim and from the University of Cincinnati campus. He is scheduled to be back in court on October 15.
Pillich said the case is disturbing because it happened on campus, where students should be safe, and she said the start of the semester sets a bad trend and a bad taste for students. She did not tie Lampkin's case to the other reports under investigation.
Three More Reports, No Arrests
UC Police are investigating three additional sexual assault reports from the same stretch of the fall semester. Two of the alleged assaults happened inside Daniels Hall on September 19, and another happened at University Park Apartments on September 28, the station's report states. In all three cases, the victims reportedly knew the suspects, and no arrests have been made.
UC Police did provide victim services in those cases, per the same account, though investigators have not released further details on where those investigations stand. The dossier of reporting does not establish whether these three cases connect to one another or to the Daniels Hall assault involving Lampkin.
A Pattern of Incidents at Daniels Hall
Daniels Hall has surfaced repeatedly in campus safety reporting. A fondling case was reported there on September 17, with two other incidents allegedly taking place at University Park Apartments around the same time, according to The News Record. That outlet reported that the University of Cincinnati Police Division's crime log had documented five instances of sexual assault within the UC community since June, with three cases listed as active and under investigation. The outlet also noted that UCPD's Criminal Investigations Section fully investigates each report and may refer especially severe cases to the county prosecutor for criminal charges.
UC's 2021 Security and Fire Safety Report recorded 16 instances of rape, five of fondling and four of dating violence in 2020, The News Record reported, underscoring that sexual assault reports at UC are not a new phenomenon even as new cases continue to surface. Separately, WCPO reported that UC police logged three burglaries, one theft and one reported sexual imposition at Daniels Hall during a single night, with investigators saying they believed the incidents involved the same group of male juveniles. Police told WCPO they had surveillance video they were reviewing to identify suspects and said they had stepped up direct patrols inside residence halls.
A separate incident near UC's Campus Recreation Center on September 19 involved a person on a scooter who allegedly struck a victim and made an inappropriate comment while riding past, The News Record reported. It is unclear whether that report is among the three additional cases UC Police are currently investigating.
Potential Penalties Under Ohio Law
Under Ohio law, courts are required to impose a mandatory prison term for a third-degree felony gross-sexual-imposition conviction under specified circumstances, including a qualifying prior conviction or guilty plea and a prior victim younger than 13, according to Ohio Revised Code Section 2907.05. It remains unknown what sentence Lampkin could face if convicted, and his case remains pending ahead of his October 15 court date.
