UI police understood of Shannon case months before ban

• Shwetha Surendran, ESPNJan 19, 2024, 05:29 PM ET Close Shwetha Surendran is an ESPN-American University investigative fellow in ESPN’s investigative and business unit.A University

of Illinois authorities investigator received details of the sexual assault examination into Illini guys’s basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. from Lawrence, Kansas, cops as early as Sept. 27, 3 months before school authorities say they had “actionable info” to suspend him, according to email exchanges gotten by ESPN.University of Illinois detective sergeant Grant Briggs exchanged emails with Lawrence detective Josh Leitner in September about getting a search warrant and scheduling an interview with Shannon, according to documents ESPN gotten through open records laws. In a case report dated Sept. 27, Briggs composed that he had spoken with Leitner that day”regarding a rape and sexual battery occurrence that happened in Lawrence, Kansas.””Leitner supplied police report narratives referring to the investigation,”

Briggs composed in the report.”He likewise supplied a link to the interview of the victim. I reviewed the report narratives, the interview video, and the summary of truths provided by Det. Leitner. I identified the realities supported his request for a complaint and affidavit for search warrant.”Shannon was arrested Dec. 28 and charged with rape, sexual relations without authorization and use of force

. According to a police affidavit, a female informed cops that Shannon digitally penetrated her at a bar in Lawrence without her approval on Sept. 9. An attorney for Shannon has actually said he is innocent and plans to take the case to trial.Illinois ‘routine season started on Nov. 6, and Shannon played in the group’s very first 11 games. Shannon has been contesting his suspension, and on Friday, a federal judge

approved his ask for a short-term restraining order versus the school and he was renewed to the team.Editor’s Picks

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On Sept. 27, Leitner wrote to Briggs and University of Illinois authorities detective Michelle Kaeding in an e-mail: “Thank you very much for your support in getting a search warrant. Attached are my narrative reports I have actually completed on this case in addition to a summary of what I would write in the affidavit for search warrant if I were the author.”

The university released accessories related to those emails to ESPN on Friday, following duplicated requests. Amongst the accessories was a sworn affidavit for a search warrant signed by a judge on Sept. 28 revealing Briggs knew specific details of what the woman reported to Lawrence police.When gotten in touch with by

ESPN, Patrick Wade, a spokesperson for University of Illinois police, stated, “We would not have any information to use with it being another department’s examination.” In a subsequent e-mail, he added, “UIPD shared very minimal info with Department of Intercollegiate Athletics staff who helped facilitate UIPD’s execution of the search warrant. It is not within our policy to share or interact particular information or reports about an ongoing investigation for non-law enforcement functions.”

In a statement to ESPN, Derrick Burson, a spokesman for Illinois athletics, stated: “The files you received under [the Liberty of Info Act] remained in the ownership of University of Illinois Authorities (UIPD), not the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA). UIPD explained to DIA that it was not at liberty to share the particular info in its possession due to the ongoing examination in Lawrence. As an outcome, no documents with actionable info were gotten by DIA until December 27, when DIA received a copy of the arrest warrant and a Lawrence, Kansas cops report.”

The blog site Champaign Showers initially reported about the e-mails Thursday.Athletic director Josh Whitman stated in December the school found out of the Lawrence police investigation including Shannon in late September however didn’t get”actionable details “till a warrant was provided for Shannon’s arrest on Dec. 27, at which point Illinois suspended him from all team activities. Whitman said that the athletic department had”no direct communication”with Lawrence police which University of Illinois cops served as their”intermediary.”But according to the e-mails gotten by ESPN, Leitner informed Briggs and Kaeding in the exact same Sept. 27 email that he has “been dealing with [Illinois assistant athletic director for basketball] Joey Biggs with the University to set the interview up. “In a declaration to ESPN, Burson said,” No DIA personnel had direct, substantive interaction with Lawrence cops regarding this matter. UIPD referred Joey Biggs to Lawrence authorities for the sole function of student-athlete scheduling. This lines up with his responsibilities as the group’s director of operations. “A representative for Lawrence police said in a declaration:”While we recognize the interest regarding this case, the Lawrence Kansas Police Department has a legal responsibility to not go over cases already charged in District Court.”Leitner did not react to a request for comment.Whitman also stated that his department was not able to get extra info from Lawrence authorities:”We asked LPD through [

University of Illinois cops] for something more concrete,”Whitman said at a press conference in December following Shannon’s arrest.”We asked to see an authorities report, we requested for updates with some frequency over the course of the weeks and months that followed, however absolutely nothing was forthcoming. “Whatever that we received was verbal, informal, it was light on details, it was unverified. It was uncertain to us whether Lawrence authorities intended to pursue

anything even more, what additional info they were trying to obtain. We weren’t made aware of any specific charges that the folks in Lawrence were thinking about. … We didn’t have anything in composing, there was no written notice of claims, no paperwork. We didn’t have a police report.”On Oct. 24, Briggs emailed Leitner asking for an upgrade in Shannon’s case. Leitner reacted the exact same day, stating,”Regrettably I don’t have any upgrade for you. I expect he either was charged or will be quickly.”Leitner added that he had submitted DNA for analysis” however it could be some time before we have outcomes.”Leitner also carbon-copied Jennifer Tatum, an assistant district attorney in Douglas County, Kansas, to the October e-mail exchange with Briggs, composing that Tatum”might be able to shed some light on where we are at

with the charging procedure.”Tatum responded to the email the same day, stating, “I will be back with both of you on this soon.”The documents show no more actions on the email exchange.An initial hearing in the criminal case against Shannon is set up for Feb. 23.