Former University of St. Thomas football player found guilty of raping student in 2018
Oct. 26—A former University of St. Thomas football player has been convicted of raping a student on campus in 2018.
A jury found Nicholas Robert Schnack, 22, guilty Oct. 14 of one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He will be sentenced in Ramsey County District Court Dec. 17.
Schnack and an 18-year-old woman were hanging out Sept. 20, 2018. The woman left and Schnack followed her back to her dorm. He came into her room and the two were sitting next to each other on a futon, when Schnack suddenly pulled her on top of him and began aggressively kissing her, biting her lower lip and drawing blood, according to the criminal complaint.
The woman resisted, but Schnack would not stop, pulling on her head and hair throughout the assault, the complaint said.
A hospital examination of the woman revealed extensive injuries related to a forceful rape, the complaint states.
The woman did not immediately report the assault, saying she felt lost and didn't know what to do and didn't want to be a burden on her family. But she struggled afterward and withdrew from the university.
When she returned to pick up her belongs in February 2019, she reported the assault to the university public safety office. The school notified local law enforcement and conducted its own investigation.
Schnack maintained at the time that the sexual contact was consensual.
