June 20, 2011
Suspect in sexual assault arrested in Philadelphia
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The man sought in connection with a May 8 sexual assault on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus is in custody in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia police alerted SIUC’s Department of Public Safety late Friday night (June 17) to the arrest of 20-year-old Jamal Patrick Jones. He is being held pending extradition.
The 19-year-old victim, an SIUC student, told police she was attacked between 3 and 3:15 a.m. on the east side of Faner Hall. After identifying Jones as the suspect, police learned that he left the area on May 11 and returned to his native Philadelphia. A warrant charging Jones with criminal sexual assault was issued on May 13 by the Jackson County State’s Attorney Office. SIUC police then contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and Philadelphia police for assistance in locating the suspect.
At the time of the incident, Jones was living in Ina and was a student at Rend Lake College.