Settlement reached in lawsuit over SFA police incident

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Six students who have been accused of filing a false police report that led to officers storming a Houston student’s dorm room at Stephen F. Austin State University last month have reached a settlement in the lawsuit against the school.

The lawsuit accused the university of violating the rights of the six students by denying them due process.

Details of the settlement announced Thursday were not released.

None of the six students have been charged with a crime.

Investigators said officers barged into 17-year-old Christin Evans' dorm room Sept. 14 after campus police received a call from the community advisor at the dorm, saying a student was threatening to stab another student with scissors and may have been experiencing a manic episode.

Police said officers responded accordingly but changed their posture once they realized Evans was asleep in her room when they entered.

Evans, who is Black, said she believes the incident was orchestrated by her white roommates and motivated by her race.

Investigators have said there is no evidence to support that the incident was motivated by Evans' race.