Petition urges student in sex assault case to be removed from UT-Dallas

This week he pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of unlawful restraint and avoided jail time.

Now enrolled at the University of Texas at Dallas, Anderson is a senior majoring in finance at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, according to a UT-Dallas online directory.

In the wake of the controversial plea deal, an online petition is calling for the University of Texas at Dallas to remove Anderson from campus, saying the school has a responsibility to keep its students safe.

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"The students at UT Dallas have a right to protection from predators like Anderson," the MoveOn.org petition says. "He submitted a plea of no contest and was sentenced to deferred probation, and will not be made to register as a sex offender. That being the case, the school ... has a responsibility to remove him from this new potential hunting ground."

The petition, which has more than 10,000 signatures as of midday Wednesday, comes two days after a judge accepted the plea deal that sparked an uproar from the victim and others.

A representative for the University of Texas at Dallas said the school cannot comment on individual students because of federal laws protecting student privacy. Still, a statement on the university's Facebook page said it was reviewing the situation.

"The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff are of the utmost importance to the University," the statement said. "While federal laws limit what we can address publicly, we are aware of the online petition and the community's concern. The University administration is currently reviewing the situation."

Inside the plea deal

As part of the plea deal, Anderson will undergo counseling but was not required to register as a sex offender in Texas and can have his criminal record wiped clean if he completes three years of deferred probation and pays a $400 fine, CNN affiliate KWKT reported.

In an email, Anderson directed CNN questions about his current school enrollment to his attorney, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The victim accused Anderson of repeatedly raping and choking her as she slipped into unconsciousness at a fraternity party in February 2016.

In a victim impact statement, she warned that the plea deal would embolden him to offend again.

"Jacob Anderson will most likely rape again. He is now free to roam society, stalk women and no one will know he is a sex offender. Jacob Anderson and all rapists who get away with their crimes will never be cured, never change," she wrote. "If anything they will be emboldened by their power over women and their ability to escape justice and punishment."

McLennan County Assistant District Attorney Hilary LaBorde said in a statement that prosecutors came to the plea deal because "conflicting evidence and statements" in the case made it difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

"As a prosecutor, my goal is no more victims. I believe that is best accomplished when there is a consequence rather than an acquittal," Laborde said. "This offender is now on felony probation and will receive sex offender treatment, a result which was not guaranteed, nor likely, had we gone to trial."

CNN's Tina Burnside contributed to this report.

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