UA's Ferguson Center director jailed on assault charge - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

The director of the Ferguson Center at the University of Alabama has been charged with the assault of an 18-year-old male.

Carl Bacon, 52, allegedly assaulted the teenage boy in a field off of Highway 13 North, investigator Jeremy Lay with the Fayette County Sheriff's Office confirmed. The victim was not a UA student.

According to the incident report, the victim was from Northport and his mother worked at the Ferguson Center. Bacon was the supervisor for the victim's mother, the report states.

Investigator Lay said Bacon allegedly drove the victim from Tuscaloosa to Fayette, then assaulted him in a field. The victim claims Bacon told him he wouldn't have a job and his marriage would be over due to the lack of respect the alleged victim showed his mother. The victim claims Bacon choked him, bit his chest and threatened his girlfriend. The victim allegedly fought back by biting Bacon's ear, then ran out of the vehicle, escaped into the woods and called for help.

Both Bacon and the victim are OK and only sustained minor injuries, investigator Lay added. Law enforcement became involved Friday night when they investigated a possible kidnapping call that came in around 1:26 a.m.

The victim went to the Fayette County Sheriff's Office on Friday, Aug. 3 and signed an arrest warrant on Friday, Lay said. Bacon was arrested Friday, Aug. 3 in Tuscaloosa and is being held in the Fayette County jail.

A judge set Bacon's bond at $50,000 today and ordered him to stay away from the victim and his family. Bacon bonded out of jail on Monday.

UA spokesperson Bill McDaniel says Bacon is on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues. Bacon is employed as the director of the Ferguson Center, the University of Alabama's student union center.

UA has its own investigators working on the case along with the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.

The university released the following statement on the investigation:

"The University is aware of the allegation and will cooperate as necessary and requested by the Fayette County law enforcement officials who would have jurisdiction over a criminal investigation. The employee was immediately placed on paid administrative leave until the allegation can be substantiated or dismissed, or additional information becomes available.  The other individual involved is not, and never has been, a University of Alabama student.

"While current information is preliminary, limited and subject to change, the University will conduct a thorough internal review of the situation to determine whether this is an isolated instance involving a misunderstanding between family friends or if there is reason to believe there is a pattern of inappropriate behavior by this employee.  UA is not aware of any previous incidents, nor is there reason to believe, at this point in the process, that this employee has ever been engaged in inappropriate behavior."

Deborah M. Lane
Assistant Vice President for University Relations

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