© 2024 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Jury Acquits Ex-NIU Cop In Sexual Assault Case

Katie Finlon / WNIJ

A DeKalb County jury found 28-year-old Andrew Rifkin not guilty of sexually assaulting a Northern Illinois University freshman student in 2011, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The former NIU police officer was accused of assaulting the student during a consensual sexual encounter. 

The Daily Chronicle reports Rifkin's attorney Bruce Brandwein argued his client was rightfully terminated from the university for having a relationship with a student, but was not guilty of rape charges; he also said evidence shows the act was consensual. 

According to the Chicago Tribune, Rifkin testified Wednesday in court that he initiated but stopped an act that was described by the student as painful. 

Meanwhile, a former NIU police chief settled a wrongful termination lawsuit with the University. Don Grady was fired in 2013 over his department's handling of evidence in the case against Rifkin. 

The lawsuit settlement totaled at $1,025,000.

Related Stories