He was accused of sexual assault at Penn State. He’ll spend time in jail
A California man was sentenced Thursday to at least 90 days in jail after a woman he was accused of inappropriately touching spoke about months of therapy sessions and feeling insecure.
Jayden Barnes, 19, was charged in January 2019 by Penn State police with sexually touching the woman while she was asleep inside a university dorm room.
He was charged with two felony counts of aggravated indecent assault and two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault, but pleaded no contest in February to one misdemeanor count each of simple assault and disorderly conduct.
The woman said she has been “crippled” by her emotions, changed her major and thought about leaving the university because of the alleged assault.
“My body was stuck in fight or flight mode, waiting for another attack,” she said. “I had always felt at home at Penn State. That sense of security was ripped away from me against my will. I began to hate the school I always loved.”
Barnes was not willing to accept a plea offer that would have required him to register as a sex offender, defense lawyer Matt McClenahan said after the hearing.
Barnes declined to speak at the hearing. His maximum sentence handed down by Centre County President Judge Pamela Ruest is 23 1/2 months in the Centre County Correctional Facility.
He was also sentenced to one year of probation.
“I may only be 21, but this process has aged me 100 years,” the woman said. “My world is a little darker.”