Longwood junior basketball player Jason Pimentel was arrested Nov. 5 and charged with sexual battery stemming from a Nov. 2 incident. Pimentel was removed from the Longwood men’s basketball roster on the athletics website Thursday and has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities for a violation of team policies.
In a press release from Longwood Athletics, Head Coach Jayson Gee commented on the violation, “I’m concerned and disappointed when a player violates team rules and handles himself in a manner inconsistent with the values of our program,” Gee said. “This issue has my full attention as well as that of the athletics department, and we will handle it with the seriousness it deserves.”
The suspension comes one day after Pimentel was arrested for sexual battery, which is listed in Virginia state code 18.2-67.4 as, “An unwanted form of contact with an intimate part of the body that is made for purposes of sexual arousal, sexual gratification or sexual abuse.” State law points out this crime may occur whether the victim is clothed or not and is considered a class 1 misdemeanor. Code 18.2-11 defines class 1 misdemeanors as “confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both.”
According to Prince Edward County General District Court records, Longwood Police Department Investigator Sam Gilliam was the arresting officer. Longwood Chief of Police Robert Beach discussed the investigation, “The victim said that in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, she was ‘forcibly fondled’ by an individual who was later determined to be Jason Pimentel.”
Beach continued, “At the conclusion of the investigation, information was provided to the Commonwealth Attorney, who decided to go forward with prosecution of Mr. Pimentel. He was arrested and released on secured bond.” Beach said Pimentel was cooperative with the process and the arrest.
Pimentel transferred to Longwood this past summer from Palm Beach State Community College in Fla. Pimentel’s collegiate playing career began at Old Dominion University, but he was dismissed from that team in 2012. According to an article in The Virginian-Pilot from September 2012, former Old Dominion Head Coach Blaine Taylor said Pimentel's dismissal was, “A cumulative thing.”
Chris Cook, assistant vice president of athletics communications, said the athletics department has no further comment on Pimentel’s suspension.
Speaking on behalf of the university, Longwood Director of Communications and Media Relations Matthew McWilliams could not give details on the incident. “It’s an ongoing investigation, and we just can’t comment on that type of thing,” he said.
McWilliams added, “Longwood University expects its students to comport themselves at a high standard in public, like responsible young men and women.”
Pimentel is the third men’s basketball player to face team-induced suspension this semester. He will join freshman Victor Dorsey on the bench, suspended for the first three games of the season also due to a violation of team rules. Pimentel was arrested nine days after a class-3 felony charge of malicious wounding against fellow junior forward Shaquille Johnson was dismissed in court.
Pimentel’s district court hearing is set for Nov. 18, one day before the Lancers visit in-state opponent James Madison University in Harrisonburg.
