*Johnson’s real name has been omitted from this story, because it is Ball Bearing’s policy that we not include the name of sexual assault victims.
Kayla Johnson was walking back to her dorm alone at 9 p.m.; a 2012 Welcome Week event had just ended. It was her freshman year, and classes had not even started yet.
As she approached Lafollette, a tall, at least 300-pound white, bearded man with shaggy, brown hair was belligerently slurring words while talking on his phone. He was clearly upset about something.
Johnson walked near him when suddenly he grabbed her elbow and pulled her toward him.
“Hey, I wanna talk to you! I wanna talk to you!” he said.This assault happened outside of LaFollette Complex near the food court. Hundreds of students pass the exact location of the assault everyday.
He reeked of alcohol. Johnson was concerned for him, and asked if he lived in Lafollette and needed help getting to his room. She had been around intoxicated people before, so the fact that he grabbed her arm wasn’t very alarming.
“You think I live in Lafollette? I’m not no damn freshman!” he snarled.
It was then that the man pulled Johnson in closer with his arm around her waist. He pinned one of her arms vertically against his side and the other was bent and pinned against his chest.
“You don’t know me at all! Please stop!” Johnson pleaded with the man.
Johnson began squirming trying to free her bent arm against his chest. He then forced his mouth onto hers and began kissing her, followed by groping her breasts.
During these brief moments, Johnson’s mind was in a frenzy repeatedly thinking, “I don’t want to be a statistic. I don’t want to be a statistic.”
Angry and determined, Johnson managed to free one arm and used her palm to hit the man in the eye and force him backward. Although she was aiming for his nose, she hit with enough power to break free of his grip.
“You goddamn bitch!” he screamed. “You’re just a dirty slut and you know it!”
Trying to hold back her tears, not wanting to appear weak, Johnson commanded that the man leave immediately.
It was at this moment Johnson realized there was a group of freshmen women standing nearby, huddled together. Some were crying and one was on the phone. They had seen the entire event unfold and had called the University Police Department.
The man walked away after making a comment that he respected a woman who could stand up for herself.
Since the women were terrified, none of them ventured to keep an eye on him or to see where he was going.
Johnson stood with the group of women for around fifteen minutes before UPD arrived. During that time they were warning other women walking by that an intoxicated and dangerous man was nearby and they needed to be careful.
Johnson was never informed of why it took UPD so long to respond.
When UPD arrived, Johnson gave a description of her attacker. The officers soon left to search for the man, and never returned to inform her of their findings.
She was never asked if she wanted to file charges, nor was she given any advice about where to seek help as a survivor of sexual
“I tried my hardest to counsel myself,” she said. “I didn’t want my friends to know I was a statistic.”
Johnson’s dreams of a perfect college experience were ripped away from her in the brief time that her attacker sexually assaulted her. She was scared away from participating in college parties, and was constantly reminding her friends to walk in groups at all times.
For an graphic on Ball State's Student Misconduct Process, read on at BallBearingsMag.com
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