Woman declined charges in assault report involving UI running back

IOWA CITY - A woman who accused former University of Iowa running back Marcus Coker of sexual assault later said she didn't want to press charges, police and Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness said Wednesday.

Prosecutors can pursue criminal charges even if an accuser is against it. However, Johnson County gives extra latitude to people who report sexual abuse cases because of the stigma that can come with such allegations, Lyness said.

“If you're reporting a sexual assault by someone public, it could attract a lot of media attention and some victims may not want that,” she said.

No charges were filed and the Johnson County Attorney's Office did not review the case for criminal prosecution, Lyness said. She did talk with police about what information they could release to the UI about the Oct. 28 incident, she said.

Iowa City Police Lt. Doug Hart said police told the university about their investigation within three days of the report.

“If it was not that day, it was probably Monday (Oct. 31). It was very early on,” Hart said.

Hart filed his final report on the case Jan. 3. He said he didn't know whether the UI got a copy of that report.

Coker was suspended from the Insight Bowl on Dec. 20. The UI has declined to say if the suspension was connected to the assault investigation.

“When we went into the bowl, he was suspended because he violated the student-athlete code of conduct,” Athletic Director Gary Barta said Tuesday. “Beyond that, I'm not going say any more. I know there's a lot of speculation.”

UI spokesman Tom Moore said Wednesday that violations of the student-athlete code of conduct are typically handled by the Athletics Department. He would not confirm when or how the UI found out about the police investigation, saying the information was covered under federal student privacy laws.

Coker, who was the Big Ten's second-leading rusher last season with 1,384 yards, withdrew from classes Tuesday and was granted a release from the UI.

According to an Iowa City police report, a woman reported she was a victim of an assault at Coker's apartment, 618 Iowa Ave., between 1:15 and 1:30 a.m. Oct. 28. Details about the woman and a narrative of the incident are redacted from the report provided to news outlets.

The woman told police she was interested in pursuing possible action through the university but did not want to press criminal charges, Hart and Lyness said.

The Johnson County Attorney's Office has prosecuted several high-profile assault cases involving UI athletes in recent years.

Two football players were charged in 2007 with sexually assaulting a female student-athlete in a residence hall room. Abe Satterfield took a plea deal in 2010 that allowed him to plead guilty to assault with intent to commit serious injury and receive no jail time. Cedric Everson was convicted of simple assault last year and served one week in jail.

The Gazette's Diane Heldt contributed to this report.