News and Public Media for North Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Newly Released Documents Shed Light on Treon Harris Sexual Battery Accusation

New information regarding the Treon Harris sexual battery accusation was released Wednesday afternoon, nearly two weeks after the investigation in the incident ended. Though the police report had been previously released, most all the information had been redacted.

Janine Sikes, assistant vice president of media relations and public affairs at the University of Florida, emailed the documents to media outlets at 12:58 p.m. on Wednesday. In her email, Sikes said the university will make no statement.

The documents, which total 175 pages of information, shed light on the incident that took place in the early morning hours on Sunday Oct. 5 between Harris and the woman who filed the original complaint against him.

The woman gave her initial account to University of Florida Police officer Jessica Zarate at Shands South emergency room about 24 hours after she said the sexual battery occurred. The woman asked if her father could be on speaker phone while she spoke to Zarate.

The woman’s statement recounts that on Saturday Oct. 4, the victim was at RAIN nightclub with a friend. She said “there were a lot of UF athletes at that club that night, some were smoking and some were drinking.” She did not specify "what they were smoking" and she added that she also consumed “a few alcoholic beverages" at the club.

At the end of the night, Harris asked if he could ride back to the Springs Residential Complex with the woman. On the way back, the woman and Harris were seated in the backseat of the car. Harris put his hand on her leg but the woman immediately turned him down and told him “he was not gonna get laid.”

Upon arrival to Springs Residential Complex, the woman asked Harris to walk her to her dorm but instead he led her to his dorm, which is in a different building than hers. The woman eventually asked if she could stay the night, because she was tired. Harris said yes and the two got into the only bed in the room.

The police affidavit of the woman’s initial account states: “Harris flipped over and was on top of her. (She) said it felt like dead weight and she couldn’t really move. (She) said she kept telling him to get off her and that she didn’t want to have sex with him.”

It was at that point in the interview with Zarate that the woman’s father “cut her off” and asked to speak with her in private. When Zarate returned to the room, the woman confirmed she wanted to move forward and press charges.

In an interview with UFPD Detective Justin Faroni, Harris said the woman “kept trying to sleep with me.” Harris’ account of the night varies from the woman’s in many ways, but Harris does confirm the two left the nightclub RAIN together. He said he dropped the woman off at her dorm room, but then she wanted to go with Harris to his dorm.

“You know, we were talking and she did – she started kissing,” Harris said. “We’re like, we’re kissing each other. Then like it just happened. We had sex.”

Harris said the woman never pushed him off.

“She said while it was happening she was telling you no, she didn’t want this to happen, Okay?” Faroni asked.

“No, no, no,” Harris responded.

Both the woman's and Harris' individual accounts of the night concurred that Harris used a condom during intercourse.

Harris asked when the woman called the police. Faroni said the woman reported the incident on the morning of Monday Oct. 6, a full day after the alleged incident occurred.

“Why she didn’t call yesterday?” Harris responded.

Included in the documents released on Wednesday is an exchange between Harris and the detective describing a series of text messages from Harris to one or more individuals. One of the messages from Harris said: “Don’t tell nobody bout [sic] nothing.”

Harris received two texts in response: “And don’t try me ever again," and "I wouldn’t even come near me if I were yu. [sic]”

Harris said he texted the woman’s phone saying “don’t tell anyone.”

He said she responded: “She be like it’ll be between me and you, something like that.”

As of Oct. 10, the woman had dropped the accusation against Harris and he was cleared to return to all University and University Athletic Association activities.

The redacted documents include:

Call History

https://www.scribd.com/doc/244008357/Call-History-redacted

University of Florida Police Department offense report

https://www.scribd.com/doc/244008590/UFPD14OFF001997-Redacted-Report

A transcribed interview with Harris and the UFPD detective investigating the case.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/244008473/UFPD-10-06-14-14-1997-redacted

Editor's note: this story has been updated from an earlier version with a more detailed account of the documents.

Erica is a reporter who can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.