Arrested for the Video, Not the Allegation: Utah's Intimate Image Law and the Jamal Wallace Case

By Jocelyn C. Stewart

The University of Utah has suspended defensive tackle Jamal Wallace indefinitely after his arrest in Salt Lake City. A woman told police he raped her and shared video of the encounter on Snapchat. But the arrest itself was for the video. That difference matters more than most people realize.

The arrest. The Associated Press, via Yahoo Sports, and KSL both report that Wallace, a reserve on the No. 10 Utes, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Oct. 11. KSL lists five counts of distribution of an intimate image. The Salt Lake Tribune reports he was not arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, was released on $5,000 bail, and had not been formally charged as of Wednesday evening.

The allegations. A woman he had been dating told police he forced sex on her, and police say he recorded the encounter on her phone and sent it to five people on Snapchat, according to the AP and KSL. These are allegations only.

His response. According to the arrest document described by the Tribune, Wallace denied sexually assaulting the woman when police interviewed him.

The university. Utah says it learned of the matter Oct. 11 and suspended him right away, the AP and KSL report. It has no further comment while the legal matter is pending.

Where the reports differ. The AP calls it an "alleged domestic incident." KSL and the Tribune lead with the rape allegation. Facts in this post appear in at least two of these reports unless a single outlet is named.

Why it matters. Booking is not charging. Prosecutors decide what, if anything, to file.

Her law firm's website explains how the military handles the same conduct in Article 117a, the UCMJ's revenge porn offense.

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Topics: Sexual Assault & Misconduct Allegations