Purdue employee charged after reported sexual assault

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – A Purdue employee is formally charged for a reported sexual assault on campus.

Twenty-eight-year-old Cheng Li is a postdoctoral research associate in Purdue’s Department of Food Science.

Police say the victim met Li on a dating app and decided to meet up with him at Hilltop Apartments Monday night. The two went inside and that’s when the victim says Li forced himself on her.

Prosecutors charged Li with counts including sexual battery and criminal confinement.

A jury trial has been set for Dec. 1. He could face up to two and a ½ years in jail.

Bond has been set at $15,000.