Two former Penn State football players accused of raping a student gave police different versions of what happened, according to charging documents made public Wednesday.
Jameial J. Lyons Jr., 19, of Philadelphia, was accused of raping a 17-year-old Penn State student on July 7 in a campus apartment. He was also accused of groping, digital penetration and forcing her to have oral sex.
Kaveion A. Keys, 19, of Virginia, was charged with similar sexual battery against the teen. A short video of the contact with their accuser was found on a cell phone Lyons owned, university police wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
Lyons was also charged with indecently assaulting a second woman while intoxicated. Neither woman consented to the sexual contact, police wrote.
Each was arraigned Wednesday morning by District Judge Don Hahn, who set Lyons’ bond at $500,000 unsecured and Keys’ bond at $400,000. They will remain free and neither is required to post bail unless they violate their bail conditions.
When he spoke with investigators, Keys denied having sexual contact with any of the three women who were in the apartment, police wrote in the affidavit.
Lyons, meanwhile, admitted to having sex with the student who reported the assault, police wrote. He told investigators he believed the contact was consensual, but said he was aware she “would probably report the situation to the police.”
The student told police she met Lyons and Keys at an off-campus location in State College. She and two other women left and returned to their apartment complex. All three were given alcoholic beverages, police wrote.
After the alleged assault began, the student told investigators she tried to push them away but was unable to do so because of their size, police wrote. Lyons was 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 250 pounds. Keys was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 225 pounds.
She told police she was tied up and choked during the rape.
Once she managed to free herself, police wrote, Lyons carried her outside, dropped her on the ground and told her she was “never coming back here.” The other woman who was in the apartment witnessed the altercation, police wrote.
Lyons was charged with rape, aggravated indecent assault and willful deviant sexual intercourse. He was also charged with indecent assault and invasion of privacy.
Keys was charged with rape, aggravated indecent assault and sexual assault, as well as misdemeanor indecent assault.
They surrendered on Wednesday. Their preliminary arraignment was moved from 2 p.m. to 11 a.m., a change that was not listed on online listings until at least 10 a.m. No defense attorney was listed for either man.
Each has a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 30. These hearings are systematically postponed.
Lyons and Keys were initially suspended temporarily in late July to “address a personal matter,” according to a team spokesperson at the time – about a month before the Nittany Lions’ season began.
The statement came after neither player was seen during the team’s first fall practice, in a game open to the media.
Days after their suspension, the team spokesperson said the two were no longer enrolled at the university and had been removed from the team’s roster.
“We are aware of the serious accusations against Mr. Keys and Mr. Lyons, who are no longer enrolled at the university,” Penn State wrote in a statement Tuesday. “The safety of our community is our top priority, and Penn State takes any reports of sexual assault or misconduct very seriously and investigates all reports.”
Lyons, a defensive end, was expected to fill a reserve role after recording a sack last year as a true freshman. Keys, a linebacker, was expected to see an increased role at linebacker after redshirting last season.
Neither appears to have landed with another program since their departure.
Undefeated and ranked No. 3, the Nittany Lions are off to one of the strongest starts of coach James Franklin’s decade in Happy Valley.
The team will play at unranked Wisconsin on Saturday before returning home on Nov. 2 to face No. 4 Ohio State in a game that should be crucial in the Big 10 rankings.
Franklin is scheduled to speak with the media Wednesday evening after his team’s practice.
