Following an investigation, Iowa City police have determined a July 15 assault report made to the department by a student attending a University of Iowa camp to be false.

According to a Wednesday press release, Iowa City police have determined that the student filed a false report and no assault occurred. No charges have been filed.

On July 15, a male student from Texas attending a high-school summer journalism camp reported he had been assaulted on the Pedestrian Mall by another male. UI officials reported the incident to Iowa City police, and the student was then transported to the UI Hospitals and Clinics.

The student’s parents were immediately notified by UI officials about the assault, and the student decided to return home. Other students in the program as well as their parents were notified Tuesday about the incident.

For Iowa City Police Chief Sam Hargadine, the initial reported seemed suspicious given the time of day and the infrequency of alleged same-sex sexual altercations.

Hargadine said the unidentified student first claimed he had been assaulted behind a bar downtown at approximately 4 p.m. before later admitting to Iowa City police over the phone that the accusations were indeed false.

“He was basically trying to cover his tracks because he had skipped one of his courses for classes,” he said.

Despite the lack of charges filed by Iowa City police, Hargadine said possible ones could come about in the Texas juvenile system.

While male-to-female sexual assaults are significantly more prevalent in the area, Hargadine said, he isn’t aware of an increase in inappropriate or lewd behavior. There have been no increase in the number of reported assaults that later end up false, either he said.

“Are there people asking for sex downtown?” he said. “That’s sort of what downtown, among college students, happens all the time.”

UI spokesman Tom Moore said the notifications to fellow camp students and parents will be handled by Iowa City police.

“These reports of alleged assaults turn out to be quite rare,” he said. “I have worked for the university for the past 24 years, and this is the second time I can recall of one.”

— by Quentin Misiag