By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
A former Princeton University freshman has been charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, endangerment of an injured victim and two counts of making terroristic threats following complaints made to borough police by two students at the university.
The accused, Malik Little, 19, is being held at the Mercer County Correction Center in Hopewell Township on $200,000 bail.
The complaints were made by a female student who had been dating Mr. Little and a male friend of the female student, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
The female victim alleged that on March 9 Mr. Little choked her, forced a sock into her mouth to quiet her, then proceeded to kick and strike her with his elbows in his campus dormitory room. The female victim signed charges against Mr. Little on April 12. Mr. Little was arrested by police that same day in Hillstown, Pa., as a fugitive from justice, according to published reports.
After the woman broke up with Mr. Little, she became pregnant, according to published reports. Mr. Little reacted by threatening to kill her if she had an abortion, the female victim told police on April 15, which resulted in one of the charges of making a terroristic threat being filed against Mr. Little, said Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
The second charge of making a terroristic threat was based on the male victim accusing Mr. Little of threatening to “take it to the next level” with him on a message on the Facebook Web site if he continued to talk to the female victim, Ms. DeBlasio said. That incident occurred Jan. 19, according to the complaint, which was not signed until April 17.
Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Devenny said Mr. Little faces up to 30 years in jail — the maximum sentence for a first-degree kidnapping, a charge resulting from the injuries he caused to the female victim.
During Mr. Little’s bail hearing Friday, Superior Court Judge Thomas Kelly cut Mr. Little’s bail from $400,000 to $200,000 but would not go as low as the $20,000 bail sought by Mr. Little’s attorney, Jack Furlong, said Ms. DeBlasio.
In addition to posting bail, Mr. Little will need to agree to refrain from contact with his victims and witnesses and not return to the university’s campus in order to be released, Ms. DeBlasio said.
Princeton University spokeswoman Cass Cliatt said Mr. Little has not been enrolled in the university since April 10.
