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Jean S. Jecrois

(EJA)

A Saint Peter's University student who was arrested and accused of raping a fellow student last November before the charge was dropped one month later plans to sue Hudson County and its prosecutor's office, saying their case against him was "frivolous from the start."

Jean S. Jecrois, 19, who spent 20 days in Hudson County jail on a second-degree sexual assault charge before the charge was dismissed, says in a notice of claim to Hudson County and the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office that officers who arrested him on Nov. 12, 2014 relied on conflicting statements from the alleged victim to build their case.

Officers also put a "major and material misstatement of fact" in Jecrois' arrest warrant that made it appear that a consensual sexual encounter between Jecrois and the other student was violent, according to the notice of claim obtained by The Jersey Journal.

Jecrois, a sophomore studying biology at the Jesuit university, told The Jersey Journal his life has been a "mess" since he was released from prison on Dec. 2. He said he can't focus on his academics, he is bullied on social media by students who believe that he is a rapist and he has to stay 50 feet away from the woman who accused him of raping her.

"I have no social life anymore," he said. "Everyone keeps their distance."

Louis Charles Shapiro, Jecrois' attorney, Hudson County Prosuector's Office spokesman Gene Rubino and Hudson County spokesman Jim Kennelly all declined to comment. Saint Peter's spokeswoman Angeline Boyer said federal regulations prohibit her from commenting on student matters.

Anyone seeking to sue public agencies must file notices of claim to give the agencies time to investigate the allegations. A lawsuit cannot be filed for at least six months.

According to the notice of claim, Jecrois' alleged victim told detectives that he "was trying to like hold my -- my arms down ... so he could pull down my pants," while Jecrois' arrest warrant alleged he "held the victim down and penetrated her."

The alleged victim said nothing to suggest that Jecrois was holding her arms down during penetration, an allegation that made their encounter seem "far more sinister" to the judge who then ordered Jecrios' arrest, Jecrois' lawyer argues in his notice of claim.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd.