Fla. Sex Assault Suspect Is Released Without Bond After Attorney Claims He’s ‘High-Achieving’

A Florida judge waived the $125,000 bond of a University of Florida residence hall assistant accused of sexually assaulting a female student in his dorm last month and released him from jail after the suspect’s attorney argued that his “high-achieving” client was in danger of getting zeroes on assignments which could jeopardize his “academic future.”

On Aug. 28, Ian Milaski, 21, of Cape Coral, was arrested and charged with simple battery and false imprisonment after a female student in his dorm accused him of luring her to his room, forcibly kissing her and trying to sexually assault her, court records show, multiple outlets including the Washington Post, NBC News and local station WCJB report.

The student contacted the University of Florida Police Department on the Gainesville campus on Aug. 28 to report that Milaski had allegedly lured her to his room on the night of Aug. 25 saying he needed water because he was drunk, the arrest report says, according to local station WCJB.

The University of Florida Police Department did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment or the report.

Once there, he tried to “make out” with her, the report says. When she said no, he allegedly yanked her wrist and said, “I want to sleep with you.”

After telling him to stop, he allegedly picked her up, put her on his bed and tried to put his hands in her underwear, the report says.

The victim freed herself and ran back to her room, asking her roommate and a friend to stay with her that night, the report says.

While she and the others were sleeping, the victim said she heard a noise and woke up to see Milaski in the doorway, who then allegedly tried to climb into bed with her, the report says.

Milaski allegedly left when the victim’s friend woke up and yelled at him to leave.

He pleaded not guilty during his first appearance in court and was held on $125,000 bond at the Alachua County Jail, the Washington Post reports.

His attorneys, however, filed an emergency motion on Aug. 30 asking the court to reduce the bond to allow him to leave jail, saying Milaski is a “high achieving student,” WCJB reports.

Milaski also needed to leave jail because of the “hurricane threatening his southern Florida home (and) his obligations as a double-major senior (in economics and business)” at the university, the motion says.

The lawyers said Milaski had already missed the deadline for an assignment because he was jailed and had “another three assignments due” that Sunday night, NBC News reports.

“If he is not released prior to that due date, he will receive grades of zero on all assignments and his academic future will be further jeopardized,” the lawyers wrote in the motion.

On Sept. 4, Circuit Court Judge Mark Moseley waived the bond and ordered Milaski to be released on his own recognizance, NBC News reports.

During the hearing, Moseley said, he didn’t fully “know what happened,” the Washington Post reports. “I only have the allegations, and even if true, does not mean he’s not been an outstanding young man.”

Milaski was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device and to avoid all contact with the alleged victim, WCJB reports.

Calls to his attorneys were not immediately returned.