As Alleged Baylor Rapist Avoids Jail, Focus Turns to Judge

Judge Ralph Strother has a history of apparently lenient sentences for accused sexual offenders
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 10, 2018 7:00 PM CST
Updated Dec 11, 2018 12:03 AM CST
Ex Frat President Gets No Jail Time in Rape Case
Former Baylor University fraternity president Jacob Anderson adjusts his tie in the courtroom Monday, Dec. 10, 2018 in Waco, Texas. Anderson, accused of rape, will serve no jail time after a Waco district judge accepted a plea bargain for deferred probation.   (Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune Herald via AP)

A Texas judge on Monday accepted a plea deal allowing a former Baylor University student accused of raping a woman at a fraternity party to avoid serving jail time. Judge Ralph Strother accepted the plea deal for Jacob Walter Anderson, who was indicted on sexual assault charges and pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of unlawful restraint. A no contest plea means a person does not admit guilt, but will offer no defense. Anderson was expelled from Baylor after a university investigation. The woman who accused him of repeatedly raping her at a 2016 fraternity house party expressed outrage at the plea agreement and described the county's justice system as "severely broken."

The ex-Phi Delta Theta fraternity president agreed to seek counseling and pay a $400 fine. Anderson will not be forced to register as a sex offender. The woman said she felt disoriented after accepting a drink she thought contained punch at a 2016 fraternity party. She said Anderson led her behind a tent and repeatedly raped her while she was gagged and choked. A warrant said the woman was assaulted until she lost consciousness and Anderson left her alone. The warrant said she had vomited on herself and could have choked to death in the backyard. Per the AP, Strother sentenced a man last year to deferred probation after he pleaded guilty in the rape of a former Baylor student. Earlier this year, he sentenced a man to felony probation for the sexual assault of a former Baylor student, a punishment that came with 30 days in jail.

(More judge stories.)

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