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The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

McCoy Watkins appears in trial at the Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna, in January, 2024.

Former Kent State student enters guilty plea over two charges of rape

Michael Neenan, Reporter August 3, 2024

A former Kent State student entered a guilty plea Wednesday, July 31, stemming from two charges of rape, which allegedly occurred in November 2022. McCoy Watkins agreed to charges on two counts of...

Trial date set for former Kent State student accused of rape

Trial date set for former Kent State student accused of rape

Alton Northup, Editor-in-chief June 3, 2024

A trial date of Aug. 6 has been set for a former Kent State student charged with two counts of rape and one count of burglary.  A grand jury indicted McCoy Watkins, then an architecture student at...

McCoy Watkins appears in trial at the Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna, in January, 2024.

Final pretrial date determined for former Kent State student charged with two counts of rape

Elaina Matricardi, Reporter January 27, 2024

The final pretrial of former Kent State student McCoy Watkins, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree felony rape, has been scheduled for Feb. 14. Watkins appeared at the Portage County...

Pretrial date rescheduled for former Kent State student charged with two counts of rape

Erin Sullivan, Photographer, TV2 Reporter November 15, 2023

The pretrial of former Kent State student McCoy Watkins, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree felony rape, has been scheduled for Dec. 11.  Watkins’ attorney, Jeffrey C. Kakish, requested...

Trial for Kent State student accused of rape postponed until November

Leah Shepard, Team Editor September 13, 2023

The trial of McCoy Watkins, the Kent State student accused of raping two fellow students last fall, has been postponed until Nov. 21, the district court ruled in August. The trial, originally scheduled...

Kent State student accused of rape authorized to leave house arrest

Leah Shepard, Managing Editor June 21, 2023

Kent State student McCoy Watkins, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree felony rape, was granted a bond modification request June 14 that released him from house arrest until his trial,...

Judge denies bond modification request of Kent State student arrested on rape charges

Leah Shepard, Managing Editor May 31, 2023

Kent State student McCoy Watkins, who was arrested on two counts of first-degree felony rape in April, will remain under house arrest until his trial in June, a common pleas court judge ruled Wednesday...

Student charged with off-campus rapes asks for bond reduction, remains listed in student directory

Isabella Schreck, Editor-in-Chief May 4, 2023

Editor's note: The hearing to consider reducing McCoy's bond has been continued and will now take place at 11:15 a.m. May 19. McCoy Watkins, the Kent State architecture student charged with two first-degree...