Man arrested for raping Florida Memorial University student, police say

A 30-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for following a Florida Memorial University student on to campus and raping her, the Miami Gardens Police Department said.

He allegedly assaulted the student around 6 a.m. Sunday at 15800 NW 42nd Ave. in Miami Gardens.

That morning, she left her dorm room and walked out the front gate to meet with a friend who was supposed to drive her to volunteer at a sports camp, according to an arrest affidavit. Her friend called to cancel, so she headed back to her dorm.

She saw a man standing at a bus stop across the street from the university, the affidavit said. He whistled at her, but she ignored him and continued walking past the front gate of the school.

As she passed by a basketball court on campus, she looked behind her and saw the man from the bus stop approaching her, the affidavit said.

He asked to use her phone, but she refused and kept walking. He allegedly grabbed the phone from her hand and put it in his pocket, tossed her bookbag to the floor, pushed her against a wall and raped her.

“When the suspect was done, he asked the victim for a kiss and then stated, ‘I will see you later’,” the affidavit said.

She called 911, and officials administered a rape kit.

On Monday, Miami Gardens police detectives received an anonymous tip that a homeless man, who matched the student’s description, was frequently near the university and was seen repeatedly over the past two weeks during the early morning, the affidavit said.

Detectives were canvassing the area to identify potential suspects and stopped Steven Devon Mason Rivers, who told police he sleeps on the premises of a church about two blocks from the university, the affidavit said.

A detective spoke Tuesday with a church representative, who said he told Rivers to leave the church on Sunday morning, the affidavit said.

There was substantial circumstantial evidence, so Rivers was detained nearby the university for further questioning. He agreed to be interviewed at the Miami Gardens Police Department.

Rivers denied raping the student.

A detective obtained a warrant for his DNA, which was submitted to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory Forensics Bureau for comparison to the student’s rape kit, the affidavit said. There was a confirmed DNA match by 7 a.m. Wednesday. Rivers was arrested and taken to Miami-Dade’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Rivers is facing one count of sexual battery and one count of robbery by sudden snatching, court records show. He remained in custody Wednesday night while waiting for his bond to be set.

Court records show Rivers has previously been found guilty in Palm Beach County of felonies, including lewd or lascivious exhibition in the presence of an employee, lascivious exhibition and battery on a law enforcement officer.

There were cars coming and going from campus Wednesday afternoon but only a few students were outside the university gates. FMU is in a quiet area without regular foot traffic and is surrounded mostly by homes and Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport.

FMU President William C. McCormick Jr. said in a statement Wednesday the university is maintaining “heightened internal security protocols, including close coordination with law enforcement agencies, expanded campus monitoring and reinforced safety procedures designed to protect all members of the university community.”

McCormick encouraged students, faculty and staff to continue to promote a culture of awareness and care, the statement said.

“We are strongest when we stand together as one FMU family,” McCormick said in the statement. “By looking out for one another and communicating openly, we help sustain a safe and supportive environment for everyone.”

On college campuses, 13% of students experience rape or sexual assault, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Woman from ages 18 to 24 who are college students are three times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence.