Teen arrested in assault

Lucas called "very polite" by townspeople

Relief, combined with mixed emotions, settled upon the Oberlin community.

Delucas Lucas, 19, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of attempted aggravated murder, attempted rape and aggravated burglary for the Sept. 6 assault on a college first-year in Fairchild Hall.

Lucas confessed to two assaults that have occurred on campus in the last year. The first was the assault on a college student last spring in the Stevenson parking lot behind Keep Cottage. At approximately 11:00 p.m. the 19-year-old student was walking home from Mudd Library when she was attacked from behind and severely beaten with an unidentifiable blunt metal object. The charge of felonious assault will be added to Lucas's latest charges.

According to the alleged assailant's confession, the motive for both incidents was robbery. He is currently being held at the Lorain County Correctional Facility on a $500,000 bail.

Chief of Oberlin College Security Keith James gave the majority of the credit for the suspect's capture to the Oberlin Police Department. "The entire investigation was handled by the Police Department. We exchanged ideas but they spent a lot of time and should get credit," he said.

James also openly expressed his feelings about the Oberlin community, the victims and Lucas. "There is a lot of tragedy for the victim's parents because they must leave to go many miles away. The woman may recover, but I still think there will be psychological trauma. I feel for the young man and what drove him to do this, but I also feel for the victims."

Lucas was an Oberlin resident of 19 years and a senior at the Oberlin High School. According to President Nancy Dye's student mailing, Lucas also worked on campus as a part-time Marriott employee on the food line in Stevenson. The mailing was sent to the student body the same day as the arraignment.

There was a tremendous feeling of confusion and mixed emotions with the charging of Lucas. Several anonymous Oberlin residents described Lucas as well-mannered. One resident said, "My son goes to the same high school. He visited my house and when I met him he was quiet and very polite."

"He's just so young," said another resident.

The two physical assaults are the only known criminal acts allegedly committed by Lucas. According to Jones, "He has no criminal history of conviction."

Director of Residential Life Yeworkwha Belachew (YB) expressed mixed feelings about the alleged assailant's capture. "I'm relieved but not excited," she said. "I'm happy for all Oberlin parents who may be relieved. We were bombarded by parent phone calls. Being so far away they feel helpless." At the same time, much of her sympathy went out to the parents of Lucas.

"There is a lot of relief," but at the same time "the whole thing is very sad," she said.

There were many leads throughout the investigation according to Oberlin Police Chief Bob Jones. Testimony from witnesses, a composite sketch, a physical description as well as the interviewing of over fifty people all aided police in apprehending the current suspect. "We had a series of interviews started that day and by the end of the day we had probable cause. It was a process of elimination," Jones said.

Oberlin Police Sergeant Kyle Michalak described the victim's tremendous cooperation during the criminal line-up at Lorain County Jail. "Before he walked into the line-up room she had picked him out. She remained calm and collected throughout the entire line-up and investigation," said Michalak.

The College's administration, the Police Department and Safety and Security praised the victim for the strength she portrayed. "She is an amazingly strong woman," said Belachew.

Michalak explained some of the upcoming steps in prosecution. Normally a preliminary hearing would be the next step, but Lucas waived his right to a pretrial.

With the pretrial passed over, Lucas will be brought in front of a grand jury consisting of 13 or 14 people. "It's a friendly court proceeding for the victim," said Michalak. "Many times the victim isn't needed because police bring all the evidence to the grand jury. The court will probably consist of the jury, a prosecutor and a court stenographer. There won't be a judge."

"Before this happened we have committed ourselves to safety in daily life," Belachew said. She also stressed the importance of in-hall staff familiarizing themselves with their residents to recognize possible outsiders. "This has taught us a lot. We have to be introduced to communities within the Residence Halls," Belachew said.

Delucas Lucas: Suspect in police custody for alleged involvement in both Fairchild and Keep assaults. (photo courtesy Oberlin Police Department)