A University of Colorado Boulder student at the end of June was sentenced to work release and probation for sexual assault, but university officials on Tuesday would not confirm whether he will still be allowed to attend CU Boulder, citing federal privacy law.
Courtesy of Boulder County Sheriff’s Office
Michael Philip Lonsdale
Michael Philip Lonsdale, 35, was convicted of raping a woman he met in October 2017 on a mobile dating app.
Lonsdale pleaded not guilty to sexual assault overcoming a victim’s will in July 2018 and was found guilty in March following a trial. On June 28, he was sentenced to two years of jail-work release and 10 years to life of sex offender intensive supervised probation.
University spokeswoman Melanie Marquez Parra told the Daily Camera the university is “aware of Michael Lonsdale’s felony sexual assault conviction and treats such matters seriously.
“We have processes in place to evaluate and determine a student’s status following a criminal conviction for conduct that preceded admission, which could result in the student not being able to attend CU,” her statement continued. “Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we cannot share specific information on individual student matters.”
FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student records.
When asked what the university’s general policy on this issue is, spokesman Ryan Huff provided the following statement: “In general, when a student is found guilty of sexual assault and the crime occurred prior to becoming a student, the student would go through the conduct process for not disclosing pending charges at the time of application. In most cases this would lead to a suspension with an option to reapply. When a student applies to CU and provides information about a criminal history, the application is reviewed by the Crime Review Committee. In most cases of a felony sexual assault conviction, an applicant would not be granted admission to attend CU.”
According to an arrest affidavit, Lonsdale told the woman he had been in the military for more than a decade and was attending CU Boulder to study biomedical engineering.
The victim told Boulder police she went on a date with Lonsdale where they had consensual sex, though she also said he once showed her a knife he kept in his bedroom and at one point said, “I just want to rape you,” according to the affidavit.
On their next date, they again had consensual sex, according to the affidavit. The next morning, they started to have sex again, but the victim told Lonsdale to stop because she was in pain. However, Lonsdale continued, according to the affidavit.
Lonsdale pinned her wrists and ejaculated in the victim, the affidavit states. He then had the victim come into the bathroom where he attached a metal hose to the shower and made her use it to avoid pregnancy. While the victim initially said no because of the pain, she told police Lonsdale was scaring her so she got into the shower.
A few days later, the victim went to the emergency room and got a sexual assault exam. The nurse was unable to do an internal examination due to the pain the victim was in, according to the affidavit.
The victim spoke with police in December 2017. When police contacted Lonsdale, an unknown number began texting the victim about the case and said she was being “counter investigated,” according to the affidavit. She moved several times after the assault due to her fear, she told police.
When Lonsdale and his attorney met with police, Lonsdale denied the victim stayed the night at his apartment and claimed the victim had an intrauterine device, which was untrue according to medical records police obtained.
According to the affidavit, Lonsdale’s previous criminal history includes wrongful use of marijuana while in the U.S. Army and an arrest for rape of a victim younger than 17 in Plattsburgh, N.Y. That latter charge was pleaded down to misdemeanor act in a manner to inure a child less than 17.
