UM School of Education doctoral student Frank Thomas Galloway, 30, was arrested Wednesday and charged with the sexual assault that occurred in the Wellness Center last week.
Galloway, who has no prior criminal record, was held on charges of sexual battery and lewd and lascivious behavior on a disabled person.
According to police, the 16-year-old victim, who is learning disabled, was attacked from behind and pushed down while showering in the men’s locker room at the Wellness Center. The victim fell forward, hitting his head on the tile walls of the shower.
It was as at that point that Galloway allegedly assaulted the teenager.
According to authorities, the teen told his parents about the attack a few days after it occurred. The UM campus crime alert was issued on Friday, three days after the incident.
The teen sustained only minor injuries during the attack.
During the investigation, local police and UM Public safety officers distributed fliers throughout campus, resulting in a series of tips that eventually led authorities to Galloway.
Dr. Harry Forgan, professor at the School of Education, said he knows Galloway but has never worked with him.
“I know most of the graduate students,” Forgan said. “I call him by Frank, but I don’t know anything else about him.”
Dr. Jeanne Shay Schumm, head of the doctorate program for the Department of Teaching and Learning at the School of Education, could not be reached for comment as of press time.
Students are outraged.
“It’s disgusting,” Manuel Hoyas, freshman, said. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
“How can somebody do something like that?” Jonathan Bower, sophomore, said. “It makes me sick to think that he had contact with kids on a regular basis through his studies.”
In another ongoing investigation, the simple battery that occurred on Stanford Drive last week is still being looked into by local authorities.
However, students are skeptical as to the seriousness of that incident, in which a male suspect allegedly hugged an unwilling victim after making a sexual advance toward him.
“I think it’s really weird – maybe it’s just a case of someone overreacting,” Megan Janson, freshman, said.
“[The situation] could’ve been taken out of context,” Natalia Medina, sophomore, said. “I think either it’s a practical joke or all out of context.”
Regardless, the Coral Gables Police Dept. and Public Safety officials say they will continue to gather information and follow leads regarding this incident.
Anyone with information regarding the simple battery at Stanford Circle is asked to call the Coral Gables Police Dept. at 305-442-1600, or Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
Public Safety officials encourage students to be aware of their surroundings at all times and to request a UM campus security escort by calling X8-6666 from a campus phone, by using an emergency blue light telephone located throughout campus, or by calling 305-284-6666 from any cell phone or off-campus phone.
The Miami Hurricane will obtain the official police reports for both of the incidents described in this article once they are made available and will continue to research Galloway and his connection to UM.
Jorge Arauz can be contacted at um_newspaper@yahoo.com