Newport News police have reopened an investigation into a 2019 reported rape against a former Hampton University student.
The alleged victim wrote in a Sept. 4 social media post that she was raped by the son of a Hampton University administrator during her first year of college. She said she endured two years of in-person and social media harassment from the suspect, before she was arrested by Hampton police in 2021 and held at a psychiatric ward in Virginia Beach against her will.
Additionally, she said Hampton University retaliated against her after she reported the rape by placing her under Mandatory Medical Leave of Absence, and did not launch a formal Title IX investigation on her behalf until June of this year.
Though both the woman and accused man are identified in public social media posts, the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot is not naming them due to the nature of the allegations and the fact no charges have been filed at this time. Neither responded to requests for comment.
According to Newport News Police Department spokesperson Kelly King, the rape allegation was first reported to police Nov. 27, 2021. A police incident report obtained by the Daily Press and The Pilot said the assault took place along Park Avenue in Newport News, but the report withheld identifying information about the woman and suspect.
King said police closed the case due to the alleged victim not cooperating with detectives. She said the case was reopened this summer after the woman reached out to several agencies. King declined to provide further detail on the ongoing investigation.
Hampton University released a statement Sept. 8 discussing “Title IX enhancements.” Title IX is the federal law prohibiting discrimination in the workplace and education, and its offices are responsible for managing sexual misconduct cases at schools.
The post on the university’s website was made four days after the woman’s public post detailing her allegations. In its post, the university said it’s committed to the safety and well being of students.
“To further demonstrate our support, we have implemented several important changes since 2022,” the statement reads. “We have restructured our Title IX office, reviewed and adjusted our internal processes and procedures, strengthened compliance and efficiency, increased training and engaged outside counsel to review ongoing investigations.”
The university did not respond to additional questions about the allegations, including a series of questions about the administrator whose son was accused.
Longtime Hampton University president William Harvey retired in June 2022. During the final years of his tenure, his daughter, Kelly Harvey-Viney, served as the university’s Title IX coordinator. Harvey-Viney left Hampton University after her father’s retirement amid legal battles with the new administration, according to reporting from WAVY.
Harvey and Harvey-Viney did not respond to requests for comment.
The university appointed Kori Harris, who began working as a Title IX investigator at the university a month after Harvey retired, to serve as Title IX coordinator in January 2023.
Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037, devlin.epding@virigniamedia.com
https://www.dailypress.com/2025/09/12/hampton-u-rape-investigation-reopened/
