Trial date set for student facing rape, sexual assault related charges

HAMILTON, OH--Nicolas Cristescu, a Miami sophomore facing one count of rape, one count of sexual battery and 11 counts of voyeurism, had a trial date set for Jan. 9 - 11, 2018 and was denied lower bond on Monday, Nov. 27, in the Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

Cristescu entered Judge Michael A. Oster's Courtroom A, in the criminal division of the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, for his plea/trial setting hearing around 1 p.m. on Nov. 27.

After Cristescu's alleged Oct. 12 attack in a residence room in Heritage Commons against a female student (known in court documents as "Jane Doe") was reported to MUPD, he was placed in Butler County jail. He has been there for the past six weeks.

In the original criminal complaint -- resulting in Cristescu's rape charge in the Butler County Area I Court -- Det. Sharon Burkett of MUPD states that "Cristescu video recorded himself having vaginal sex with an unconscious female."

Additionally, in the five initial criminal complaints in reference to pandering obscene material to a minor, Det. Walt Schneider of MUPD says "Cristescu possessed a photograph of a naked, identified sixteen year old on his cell phone." Those charges were eventually amended to a class one misdemeanor for disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

All of these criminal complaints were verified through the Butler County Area I docket search.

The final pre-trial date in the court of common pleas was set for Monday, Dec. 18, in which Kilburn and the state will have the opportunity to ask Oster how the trial proceedings will take place. Until the trial hearing starts on Jan. 9, state prosecutors will examine the evidence gathered in discovery, which assistant prosecutor Kelly Heile described in the proceedings as "luminous."

The "bulk of the discovery" is located on a thumb drive containing "substantial" evidence against Cristescu, Heile said.

Members of the local television affiliates were present at the courthouse including Fox-19, WLWT NBC-5 and WKEF ABC-22.

The student body was first notified of Cristescu's alleged assault via a campus wide safety bulletin that was sent as an email on Oct. 19, informing the Miami community that the "incident reported is to have occurred in the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 12."

The rape, sexual battery and voyeurism charges were dismissed from Butler County Area I court, but the sentencing for the remaining charges has been continued to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14.

Cristescu pled guilty to those charges -- a class one misdemeanor for disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and two counts of marijuana possession -- which are being handled by Judge Robert Lyons through the Butler County Area I court in Oxford, OH.