Students

Spring Break 2015: 2 Troy University Students Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Woman on Panama City Beach

By

Two students from Troy University were arrested on charges of sexual assault for an incident that reportedly took place amidst hundreds of people on Panama City Beach.

According to the Panama City News Herald, officers described the assault as a "gang rape" in the middle of the day on the beach during Spring Break last month. The Bay County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) announced Friday the arrests of Delonte' Martistee, 22, and Ryan Austin Calhoun, 23.

They are being held at Bay County Jail while they await their first court appearance.

Police said the victim did not report the assault at the time because she may have been drugged. But authorities pointed out there could have been hundreds of people who witnessed the assault and none who contacted the police.

BCSO released a video (link contains adult language) to show how crowded the beach was at a given time during the day during Spring Break. The video is edited to protect the victim's identity, but police said they saw a group of men groping a woman on a beach chair struggling to stop them from touching her genitals. The men can be heard saying, "She isn't going to know."

"This is happening in broad daylight with hundreds of people seeing and hearing what is happening, and they are more concerned about spilling their beer than somebody being raped," Panama City Sheriff Frank McKeithen said at the Friday press conference. "This is such a traumatizing event for this girl. No one should have to fear this would happen in Panama City Beach, but it does."

BCSO has fielded other reports of crimes, including other instances of sexual assault, occurring on the beach in broad daylight during this year's Spring Break, the News Herald reported.

BCSO officers recently revealed a collection of drugs such as marijuana, MDMA, cocaine and heroin, in addition to a collection of 49 firearms. The News Herald noted the demonstration was meant to express the kind of activity that goes on unreported. McKeithen indicated he is planning to use this year as the basis to propose stricter Spring Break rules on Panama City Beach in the future.

He said there seems to be a collective attitude where Spring Breakers "coming to Panama City Beach think this is acceptable."

© 2024 University Herald, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics