The man charged with abducting a missing University of Virginia sophomore was previously expelled from Liberty University after a female student accused him of rape, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.
Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., 32, was captured this week in Texas and is awaiting extradition — but there is still no sign of the student, 18-year-old Hannah Graham, authorities said.
After reportedly being expelled from the Christian university in 2002, police investigated the rape allegation but was never charged due to lack of evidence, the Lynchburg Police Department told the Daily Mail.
This undated image provided by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office shows a booking photo of Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. Matthew Jr. was arrested on a beach in the Texas community of Gilchrist by Galveston County Sheriff's authorities, Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo announced Wednesday night Sept. 24, 2014. He is charged with abducting a missing University of Virginia sophomore and is awaiting extradition. (AP Photo/Galveston County Sheriff)
Matthew was reportedly awarded a football scholarship to Liberty University — located in Lynchburg, Virginia, after being named “Athlete of the Year” in Charlottesville, Virginia. His scholarship was revoked when he was kicked out of the university, according to Matthew’s former teammates.
William Haith, the former captain of the football team, and another former teammate outlined the allegations in an interview with the Daily Mail:
'But he left in 2002. He got into some trouble over sex with a girl. She made a complaint against him. He was put out of the football team because of the complaint. He was kicked out of the university as well.
'The allegation was that he forced himself upon a girl at a party and had sex with her. The girl said he was aggressive towards her and she filed a complaint against him. He was put off the football team and he was put out of school. Liberty is a very disciplined school with strong religious beliefs.'
Another former teammate, Milton Johnson, claimed: 'LJ was accused of sexual assaulting a girl when he was at Liberty. She was a student at Liberty. He got kicked off the football team and kicked out of the university. He was real rough with her and she ended up in hospital.'
Mr Milton added: 'LJ was awkward around people. He was kind of weird.'
On Thursday morning, Matthew appeared briefly before a Galveston County judge via a video link from jail to hear the charges against him. In Texas, he's charged with being a fugitive from justice and with giving false information to an officer, in addition to a count of abduction with intent to defile in Virginia. Judge Mark Henry held Matthew without bond on the fugitive count.
This undated photo provided by the Charlottesville, Va. Police Department shows Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. (AP Photo/Charlottesville, Va. Police Department)
Matthew - in a dark green jumpsuit, with his hands cuffed - signed papers and refused a court-appointed attorney. He told Henry he wasn't out on bond on any other charges before his arrest.
Matthew appeared confused and asked the judge a few short questions. He expressed concern that his clothes were taken when he was booked into Galveston County jail. "I should be able to have some kind of clothing," he said.
After the appearance, Henry told KPRC-TV that he expected Matthew would be extradited to Virginia within a day or two. But details on how or when he would be moved remained unclear. Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset told The Associated Press that authorities from Virginia were expected to arrive after noon Thursday.
With Graham still missing, Trochesset said Texas authorities would conduct searches. In Charlottesville, police say an intense search continues.
This undated file photo provided by the Charlottesville, Va., Police Department shows missing University of Virginia student Hannah Elizabeth Graham. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014, police said they've reviewed additional surveillance videos from two businesses showing Graham and others walking the night she disappeared. (AP Photo/Charlottesville, Va., Police Department, File)
Volunteers search an area along Ivy Road Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014, during a massive search effort by the community to find missing UVa student Hannah Graham. (AP Photo/The Daily Progress, Andrew Shurtleff)
"This case is nowhere near over," Longo told a news conference late Wednesday. "We have a person in custody, but there's a long road ahead of us and that long road includes finding Hannah Graham."
The search is focusing on rural and wooded areas around Charlottesville, Longo said Thursday on NBC's "Today" show.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
