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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

UCF LB Demetreius Mayes Jr. faces charge of sexual battery to physically helpless person

College Football, UCF Knights

UCF linebacker Demetreius Mayes Jr. was arrested Tuesday on a charge of sexual battery to a physically helpless person, according to arrest records.

Mayes, a freshman from Miami, was immediately suspended from all football-related activities, according to UCF coach Josh Heupel.

"From what we know so far on this matter I'm upset and disappointed," Heupel said in a statement. "This has no place in our program. We are focused on ensuring that we provide compassion and support for everyone outside our program that has been affected by this."

University of Central Florida Police responded to a "suspicious incident" at a campus housing complex early Saturday morning, where they made contact with the reporting party -- a resident assistant -- and other potential witnesses, according to an arrest affidavit.

On Monday, detectives interviewed a woman who told them she had been intoxicated after drinking throughout the evening. She told police she remembered arriving at the housing complex and going upstairs but did not recall what happened until she woke up naked as Mayes sexually penetrated her. She told police she stood up and that Mayes tried to block the door before two other males, who were also inside the room, escorted her to the lobby of the building.

"The UCF Police Department is committed to a thorough, professional investigation of all criminal incidents reported to us, and we're dedicated to a culture of care that starts by believing the brave survivors who seek our assistance," UCF Police Chief Carl Metzger said in a statement. "This survivor's well-being will continue to be a priority for our department and our university."

Mayes told detectives on Tuesday that the victim consented to sex and that he stopped when she said, "I can't do this," according to the arrest affidavit.

Several other UCF football players present at the housing complex during the time of the alleged incident were interviewed by police. According to their statements, the players were "concerned Mayes was going to have sex with the intoxicated victim" and attempted to enter his room to prevent the act -- described to police as a "big mistake" -- from happening.

They told police they knocked on Mayes' locked door for several minutes and repeatedly told him not to have sex with the woman. When she emerged from the room, she was "visibly upset and was crying."

"I am proud of the officers and detectives who dedicated themselves to this case," Metzger said. "I also appreciate the actions of the bystanders to this incident who stepped up to help someone in need; they set an example of compassion and consideration that we all should strive for."

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