The university does not have plans to press charges against a student who they say falsely claimed he was assaulted on campus, a university spokesperson said.
“Any disciplinary action that he may or may not face will be handled by the student judiciary process,” said Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for marketing and communications.
Andrew Pizzano, a sophomore fundamentals of management and communication studies major, reported around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 26 that a white man wearing a tan or brown sweatshirt approached him in a parking lot near Worthen Arena and demanded his wallet and cellphone. Pizzano said the man then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the arm.
“Upon investigation, university police have determined that the report of an assault and attempted robbery on campus is not true, and no other person was involved in the injury,” a university spokesperson said in an email.
Pizzano told the Daily News on Oct. 27 that he called his friend Betsy Stein, a resident assistant, who took him to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. He said he was checked in at midnight.
University Police Department officers were already there for another situation, he said, and they were told about Pizzano’s stabbing story.
The university sent one email notifying students of the reported stabbing nearly at around 1 a.m. Oct. 27 from Joan Todd, executive director of public relations.
Under the student code of conduct, should the university choose to take disciplinary action, one offense is “providing false testimony or false information in the judicial process or knowingly making unfounded accusations against another individual.”
The university will not discuss any medical or disciplinary issues.
False reporting, according to Indiana state law, is a Class B misdemeanor or a Class A misdemeanor if the false informing “substantially hinders any law enforcement process.”
In Indiana, a Class B misdemeanor could be imprisoned for a maximum of 180 days and fined up to $1,000. If it is found to be a Class A misdemeanor, the punishment could be a maximum imprisonment of one year and a fine of up to $5,000.
Pizzano did not return a phone call, an email or social media messages.
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