The student accused of violently attempting to rob another student on the Parade Ground in late February claims he is innocent, according to the family of the accused.
LSU Police Department officers arrested 20-year-old Camden Marcotte three days after the attack and charged the kinesiology sophomore with simple robbery.
Officials believe Marcotte attacked an 18-year-old female student as she was walking on the sidewalk along Highland Road at 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 26.
No court dates have been set, but Marcotte plans to plead not guilty, according to Brent Marcotte, Camden’s brother.
LSUPD spokesman Det. Kevin Scott said charges could take weeks to be formally filed with the District Attorney’s Office.
According to Scott, the victim was hit from behind and pushed to the ground. The two fought, and the victim was struck again. The attacker escaped between the Faculty Club and the Paul M. Hebert Law Center building.
“[Camden] was over at a friend’s dorm room playing video games at the time and was absolutely clueless to the situation,” Brent Marcotte said.
Detectives were able to identify the alleged assailant using security camera footage of Marcotte entering an on-campus residence hall after the attack, Scott said.
Brent Marcotte said his brother’s arrest is attributable to being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and said Camden doesn’t own a shirt police said the assailant wore.
Scott said evidence against Camden Marcotte is “overwhelming,” especially considering the victim identified Camden Marcotte as the assailant in a picture lineup.
It’s unclear whether Camden Marcotte, who is out on bond, is allowed to attend classes or live in his on-campus residence as the Office of Student Advocacy & Accountability will not comment on particular cases, according to its director, Eric Norman.
Norman said the office handles each case of simple robbery differently depending on the circumstances, and he declined to comment on a hypothetical case matching Camden Marcotte’s circumstance.
Camden Marcotte is still enrolled at the University, according to the PAWS Student Directory. E-mails and Facebook messages to Camden Marcotte were unanswered.
 
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Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at [email protected]