An Assumption University student maintains her innocence amid serious charges related to a TikTok trend gone wrong
Isabella, just 18 and from Sterling, is one of six students charged after an incident on October 1 that’s caught a lot of attention. Her lawyer, Robert Iacovelli, claims the accusations are based on lies from others involved. He’s pushing to get this to trial as soon as possible.
The students are accused of leading a group of over 20 to confront a man they wrongly accused of being a predator. They filmed the whole thing, which is pretty shocking. The man was in town for his grandmother’s funeral, and the university has condemned the students’ actions, especially since the victim is in the military.
This whole situation seems to stem from a TikTok trend where people try to catch supposed predators. But, as police pointed out, these stings can get out of hand and often don’t lead to real justice. In this case, the students allegedly lured the man to campus and made false claims about him.
Surveillance footage shows the group confronting the man, who was just sitting there. He tried to leave but was blocked, and things escalated quickly. After he managed to escape, the group reportedly laughed and celebrated, which is just bizarre.
The police have said that some of the students initially lied about what happened, and as the investigation went on, more details came out. Now, all five students are facing serious charges, including kidnapping, which could mean a decade in prison. It’s a pretty intense situation, and it’ll be interesting to see how it unfolds.
