Kristin Hohman

Editor-in-Chief

Former Lorain County Community College student and former student senator Justin Christian was arrested on Dec. 2 in his Lorain home. Christian is  charged with rape and kidnapping in connection with the abduction of a 6-year-old Cleveland girl from her home on May 21, according to published reports.

“I’m shocked,” said Benjamin Colon Nieves, vice president of LCCC student senate. “He was a likable person.”

Christian is also linked to the attempted abduction of a 10-year-old Elyria girl in February.

The investigation spanned several months and involved numerous law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the Elyria Police Department and the Lorain Police Department.

LCCC had no prior knowledge of the investigation into Christian, according to Tracy Green, LCCC’s vice president for strategic and institutional development.
“We learned this morning that Mr. Justin Christian was arrested,” Green said in a statement. “Mr. Christian was a student at Lorain County Community College for the past two years and served as a student senator during a portion of his time at Lorain County Community College. Obviously at this point, Mr. Christian is not on campus and, in accordance with our campus code of conduct, has been immediately suspended and banned from campus. Our focus is allowing law enforcement to be able to complete their investigation.”

Investigators are still exploring possible links between Christian and two attempted abductions in Lorain County that occurred on Feb. 25 .

The announcement of Christian’s arrest was made during a press conference by the FBI, Cleveland Police Department and other law enforcement agencies on the morning of Dec. 5. He is scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 8.