Bond set for former Penn State football players accused of rape and other sex crimes

Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys, a pair of former Penn State football players accused of rape and other sex crimes, appeared in court Wednesday. An unsecured bond was set for Lyons at $500,000 and an unsecured bond for Keys was set at $400,000.

Penn State University police were notified on July 8 of an assault that occurred on the Nittany Apartments campus, at Keys and Lyons' residence, according to the criminal complaint released Wednesday.

A 17-year-old female Penn State student reported to officers that she had been forcibly raped by both men on July 7, according to the complaint. A second woman who was in their apartment that night, referred to in court documents as Victim 2, said she woke up with her pants off and that Lyons had digitally penetrated her vagina, the complaint said. The lawyer for both players did not respond to multiple messages from The Athletics looking for comment.

Penn State football coach James Franklin declined to answer questions about the charges against Lyon and Keys after Wednesday's practice.

The 17-year-old woman referred to as Victim 1 in the complaint said she left a meeting on the night of July 7 and went to Keys and Lyon's apartment, where she and two other women were served alcohol. She said she was not in a formal relationship with either man, but had previously communicated with Lyons on Instagram and via text messages.

According to the complaint, Victim 1 said she was watching TV with Keys and Lyons in Keys' bedroom while both football players smoked marijuana. She told police she was lying in bed and heard Lyons and Keys talking while she was trying to sleep.

She said in the complaint that both approached her, digitally penetrated her and forced her to perform oral sex on them. She said she tried to push them away but was unable to, and told officers that her face was pushed into the mattress and her arms were held down while she was strangled and sexually assaulted several times.

During the attack, Victim 1 said she saw a flash, which she believed was the result of Keys and Lyons recording her on a cell phone. Both denied that a recording had been made. Victim 1 said she eventually got away and yelled at the men, at which point Lyons grabbed her, carried her outside and dropped her to the ground, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, Lyons told Victim 1, “You're never coming back here and stay out of our lives.”

At that point, Victim 2 said she woke up, went to the bathroom to vomit, and was then led out of the bathroom by Lyons. Lyons took her to his bedroom, where she fell asleep fully clothed in Lyons' bed. She said she woke up with her pants off and Lyons touching her vagina, which she did not consent to, according to the complaint.

On July 8, a search warrant was served at Keys and Lyon's home. According to the complaint, Keys denied knowing Victim 1 and denied having sexual contact with any of the women in the apartment that evening. Lyons, the complaint states, said he had sex with Victim 1 and acknowledged having Key's cell phone during the incident, though he denied making a recording. Lyons said he believed the sex with Victim 1 was consensual, but also said he was aware that Victim 1 would likely report the situation to police, according to the complaint.

Both Lyon and Keys' cellphones were examined. According to police, a short video showing indecent contact with Victim 1 was found on Key's camera roll. There was also a witness, referred to in the complaint as Witness 1, who was at the apartment that evening and saw Lyons remove Victim 1 from the residence.

Both players were temporarily suspended this summer for what Penn State described as a personal matter. Neither was on the practice field on July 31, the first day of Penn State football practice. On August 3, both were removed from the roster and coach James Franklin would not ask questions about their removal from the team and the university.

At the time of publication, it was unclear whether Lyons or Keys had posted bond. A preliminary hearing for both Lyons and Keys is scheduled for October 30 at 8:30 a.m. ET.

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Ex-Penn State football players accused of rape and other sex crimes

(Photo by Jameial Lyons (19): Dan Rainville / USA Today)