Norwich Student Accused of SA

By Eric Blaisdell
RUTLAND HERALD
BARRE,Vt. — A Norwich University student is accused of sexually assaulting another student at the private military school in Northfield in 2019.

Timothy Powell, 21, of Hamlet, North Carolina, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Washington County criminal court in Barre to felony counts of sexual assault and first-degree aggravated domestic assault. If convicted, Powell faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. He was released on conditions including no contact with the victim.

Officer Karie Tucker, of the Northfield police, said in her affidavit on April 5 she spoke to the victim who reported she had been in a relationship with Powell for about two months in the fall of 2019. Tucker said the victim reported she and Powell lived in the same dorm building on the Northfield campus at Norwich.

The officer said the victim reported Powell would assault her once a day on average.

The victim told Tucker that Powell would start having sex with her even if she didn’t want to, according to court records. The officer said the victim reported Powell would not listen to her when she pushed him away or told him to stop. Tucker said the victim reported Powell sometimes would choke her to the point she couldn’t breathe.

The victim told Tucker that one night Powell snuck into her dorm room and lay next to her when she was asleep, according to court records. The officer said the victim reported Powell left marks on her body from his mouth.

Tucker said she tried to interview Powell, but was unsuccessful. The officer said she called Powell’s cellphone and heard a message stating the phone was not taking calls at that time.

Daphne Larkin, director of media relations and community affairs at Norwich, said Friday that Powell has “active” status at the school, meaning he can register for classes.

Larkin said in a statement, “Norwich University takes every allegation of sexual violence seriously, and we respond to every report with an investigation by an independent investigator pursuant to our Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy. If we find that there is a violation of the policy we administer appropriate discipline, including expulsion from the university. Norwich policy and federal law prevent us from sharing information related to any ongoing investigations.”

eric.blaisdell @timesargus.com