Former University of Cincinnati student charged with harassing staff a third time

Erin Couch, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
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A Hamilton County grand jury on Aug. 3 indicted Zhouyu Ouyang, 29, on five counts of menacing by stalking and two counts of ethnic intimidation. Zhouyu, an expelled UC student, is being charged in a third case of harassing university staff.

A former University of Cincinnati student now living in China has been charged a third time with harassing university staff after being dismissed from the architecture program..

A Hamilton County grand jury on Aug. 3 indicted Zhouyu Ouyang, 29, on five counts of menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony; and two counts of ethnic intimidation, a fifth-degree felony.

Zhouyu is accused of writing threatening emails to a university employee in May, June and July.

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According to the indictment, Zhouyu engaged in a pattern of conduct and caused a UC faculty member to believe Zhouyu would cause physical or mental distress to him and his family, and by doing so, threatened him.

Zhouyu's address is listed in the Chinese province, Sichuan. The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China, so the former student cannot be arrested there and brought back to Hamilton County for proceedings.

The grand jury's indictment last week marks the third time charges were filed against Zhouyu in similar incidents involving UC staff.

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A 2019 Hamilton County Municipal Court affidavit states he was issued a cease and desist letter from the university after he was dismissed from its architecture master's program, instructing him to reach out, by email, only to a single point of contact within UC "for any legitimate business needs."

A UC police report detailing his alleged actions preceded his municipal court charge. The report, obtained by The Enquirer, said he sent "thousands of harassing emails to multiple professors since being removed from the Master of Architecture program at UC."

Then in 2020, Zhouyu was charged with menacing by stalking in municipal court. Court documents say he left a faculty member a four-minute, 27-second voicemail threatening physical harm to him.

Kelly Cantwell, senior public information officer of UC Department of Public Safety, issued the following statement:

“The university takes security concerns seriously as part of our goal for creating a safer campus for all. We strongly encourage our campus community to report any concerns related to safety and security to UCPD.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Former UC student accused of harassing faculty by email, voicemail