Augustana freshman charged with burglary after entering woman’s dorm room

Freshman Peyton Zabel is facing three charges after he entered a woman’s unlocked dorm room and climbed into her bed without consent early Saturday morning, according to the Sioux Falls Police Department’s police briefing filed by the Argus Leader on May 13.

Samuel Clemens, a public information officer at City of Sioux Falls Police Department, said the 18-year-old woman was sleeping when he grabbed her and refused to leave, to which she ran into another room where she called for help.

The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office booked and jailed Zabel at 06:12 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to jail records.

Zabel, 19 years old, is charged with first-degree burglary, underage possession of alcohol and disorderly conduct. When authorities found Zabel, he was initially unresponsive and taken to a hospital where a breathalyzer test found his blood alcohol level was at .163.

Following the arrest, the Office of the Dean of Students released a statement explaining that Zabel, who played both baseball and football at Augustana, is indefinitely suspended from participating in all athletic activities until police finish the investigation.

“Augustana University is investigating the incident that took place the morning of May 11 and is currently working with the authorities regarding the matter,” Office of the Dean of Students said. “The university does not comment on the specifics of individual student cases due to federal student privacy laws but adheres to a code of conduct for its students. Per the Augustana University Code of Conduct and the Athletic Code of Conduct, the student-athlete is suspended indefinitely from all athletic activity until the investigation is completed.”