Georgetown College employee says she was assaulted, harassed by president on work trip
A Georgetown College employee said she was sexually harassed and assaulted by former college President William A. Jones at a hotel in October, according to an emergency protective order filed earlier this week.
Jones was fired as president of Georgetown College on Monday after the school learned of allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior with female employees, as well as “other conduct in violation of Jones’s employment agreement with the College,” according to a release from the school. The college learned of the allegations on Sunday, and Jones was fired by the Board of Trustees on Monday, the school said.
According to the protective order filed earlier this week, the employee believes Jones to be a “threat to safety,” which resulted in her filing the order. The assault happened on a work trip in Indianapolis last month, according to the order.
“William Jones sexually harassed me in the lobby of (the) hotel before later sexually assaulting me in his hotel room,” the employee wrote. “Multiple times throughout the incident’s timeframe I told him to stop.”
According to the order, the employee has asked that Jones not be allowed within 500 feet of Georgetown College.
Jones has been summoned to Fayette County Family Court on Nov. 10 to respond to the allegations, according to the order. The employee also reported the incident to Indianapolis police, who did not immediately respond to a request for information on Wednesday. Georgetown police did not immediately respond to questions on Tuesday.
The Herald-Leader does not identify victims of sexual assault.
Georgetown College began investigating the allegations, and outside counsel has been hired to continue the investigation, the college said Tuesday.
Jones was named president in 2019, with a unanimous vote from the board of trustees, according to the college’s website. Previously, he was the president of Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas.
Rosemary Allen, the college’s provost, has been named acting president.
Reporter Jeremy Chisenhall contributed to this story.