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The Man Who Robbed Megan Rondini Of Justice Will Be A Featured Speaker At UA "Sexual Assault" Forum
By Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on September 6, 2017
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on September 6, 2017
Three days before the September 8, 2017, vigil for honors student/rape victim Megan Rondini, The University of Alabama made a shocking announcement -- Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy, the man who robbed Megan of criminal justice, is one of the featured speakers at a September 14, 2017, UA forum on "Sexual Assault on Campus".
Megan Rondini accused Terry Jackson "Sweet T" Bunn, Jr., of raping her during the early morning hours of July 2, 2015, at his Cottondale residence. Sweet T, who did not know Megan's name or anything else about her, claims he engaged in a "consensual" sexual encounter at his house because a "flirtatious", "outgoing", and "friendly" Megan lusted for his body.
Evidence in the case strongly suggests that Megan had been unobtrusively administered the "date rape" drug GHB prior to the questionable sexual encounter. After the sexual encounter, Megan made a frantic escape from Sweet T's house by jumping to the ground from a second story bedroom.
In the span of 59 minutes, Sweet T (a) picked up Megan Rondini while she was walking home from Innisfree Irish Pub on University Boulevard, (b) gave her a ride home, (c) had drinks at her apartment, (d) traveled to his Cottondale home, and (e) had "consensual' sex with Megan before she texted friends for urgent help in escaping from the scene of the crime.
When investigators first questioned Sweet T about the rape charge, he denied that Megan had been to his house. After talking to his lawyer, Sweet T changed his story to say he had a consensual sexual encounter with Megan at his house. Investigator Josh Hastings provided Sweet T with an innocent explanation for this 180 degree change in his storyline, which Sweet T eagerly adopted during his third police interview.
By 2015, Sweet T had a well-known "street" reputation in Tuscaloosa for using GHB on young college coeds. He had also been designated a "suspect" in several reported rapes.
Local law enforcement officials privately refer to Sweet T as a "dirt bag" who preyed on young college women in local bars and clubs. He is a known sexual predator who happens to be a member of a wealthy family that is well connected to the Crimson Tide football program.
After Sweet T was identified as the suspect in Megan Rondini's rape case, Sheriff Abernathy ordered his investigators to "script" her case. They complied by downgrading the rape investigation to a "Special Inquiry".
Abernathy's office never tested Megan's rape kit or urine sample for the presence of GHB, despite obvious signs that Sweet T had drugged her on the night in question. The failure to test Megan urine for the presence of GHB ensured that her case would not be prosecuted.
A Legitimate "Sexual Assault" Panel Showcases an Illegitimate Speaker
Organized by the UA Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the "Sexual Assault" panel will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Room 159 of Russell Hall on the UA campus. The panel is open and free to the public. A reception will immediately follow.
In addition to Sheriff Ron Abernathy, other named panelists include:
1. Madeline Anscombe, President of Not on My Campus;
2. Courtney Cross, Assistant Professor of Clinical Legal Instruction and the Director of the Domestic Violence Law Clinic at UA;
3. An unnamed representative from the UA Title IX Office; and,
4. Zoe Winston, Peer Education Programs Coordinator, UA Women and Gender Resource Center
2. Courtney Cross, Assistant Professor of Clinical Legal Instruction and the Director of the Domestic Violence Law Clinic at UA;
3. An unnamed representative from the UA Title IX Office; and,
4. Zoe Winston, Peer Education Programs Coordinator, UA Women and Gender Resource Center
Dr. Ariane Prohaska, an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UA will moderate the panel. Dr. Lesley Williams Reid, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice announced the "Sexual Assault" forum in a September 5, 2017, email to undergraduate students.
Except for Ron Abernathy, the moderator and other panel members are legitimate and distinguished experts on preventing, reporting, and prosecuting sexual assault crimes. Abernathy is nothing more than a law enforcement mascot for the Bunn family who parades around Tuscaloosa imitating a legitimate law enforcement officer.
Whether intended, or not, the "Sexual Assault" forum will provide Sheriff Ron Abernathy an unearned opportunity on the UA campus to cleanse and rehabilitate his soiled reputation in the Megan Rondini rape case. Instead of lecturing students and members of the public on sexual assaults, Abernathy should be facing obstruction of justice charges for thwarting justice in Megan Rondini's rape case.
Abernathy's Conduct in the Megan Rondini Rape Case is Unforgivable
Megan's rape case was not botched, as some observers have suggested. It was "fixed" under the direction and supervision of Sheriff Ron Abernathy to help Sweet T escape criminal justice.
In return for "fixing" Megan's case, Abernathy got a pat on the head from the Bunn family and special skybox access to Crimson Tide football games. His conduct in this regard is unforgivable.
Megan Rondini was victimized twice in her rape case. First, Sweet T victimized Megan by forcing her to have sexual intercourse against her will. Sheriff Abernathy victimized Megan again by "scripting" the rape investigation in her case in order to free Sweet T from criminal prosecution.
On February 26, 2016, an emotionally exhausted and despondent Megan Rondini committed suicide.
Instead of chastising Sheriff Ron Abernathy for his abuse of power in the Megan Rondini rape case, The University of Alabama has elected to showcase Abernathy as someone who actually cares about rape victims. By doing so, the University is victimizing Megan Rondini, as well.
Since the rape incident, the University has taken no steps to honor Megan Rondini, who was one of its best and most promising honors students. The University has also taken no steps to ban Sweet T from campus.
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