Arrest doesn't calm anxious NC State community

Marlon Clayton Miller, 21, of 120 Johnson St. in Garner, was ordered held under a $500,000 bond following a brief court appearance Monday afternoon. He is charged with second-degree forcible sex offense, first-degree kidnapping and communicating threats.

A woman said she was leaving D.H. Hill Library around 4 a.m. April 25 when a man pushed her from behind into some bushes near the Free Expression Tunnel on campus and assaulted her. An arrest warrant alleges that Miller told the victim that he would kill her if she screamed.

Prosecutors said Miller admitted to several people in recent days that he committed the crime, but relatives and Miller's girlfriend said the attack was out of character for him.

Although not a student at N.C. State, Miller often skateboarded around campus, friends said.

The sexual assault was the first of several crimes reported at N.C. State in the past two weeks, including one Sunday morning where a student said he was punched in the face and robbed by two men outside the Avent Ferry Technology Center on Avent Ferry Road.

Last Wednesday, another student reported being approached by a man who put his arm around her and tried talking to her. She sprayed him with pepper spray and ran away.

Both cases remain under investigation, but police said there's no evidence that any of the three incidents is connected to the others.

"Student safety and faculty and staff safety is our No. 1 priority," said Lt. David Kelly of the N.C. State police. "We will do everything we possibly can to address their safety concerns."

In addition to the extra patrols, police encouraged students and others to use the Safety Escort Program, which runs 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. nightly. Also, they advised people to walk in groups at night, be more vigilant of their surroundings and stick to well-lit pathways.