“She was two to three times the legal limit to drive when this was happening,” Goodwin said. “She probably needed to sober up some but even if not stone sober, she should have had some amount of time to get her wits about her before she is answering questions.”

Campus police Chief Brian Seastone defended his officers’ actions in an email statement Friday. He said they wanted to check on the student’s welfare after a residence assistant in her dorm called for help.

The university’s investigation was federally mandated under Title IX, a law that protects students from gender discrimination including sexual harassment and sexual violence. It requires schools to investigate such reports regardless of whether criminal charges are filed.

The university based its ruling against Pitts on 25 witness interviews, the results of a sexual assault medical examination of the accuser, and reviews of police reports, text messages and social media posts. The video taken by campus police was among the exhibits, said Farhang, Pitts’ attorney.