Southeast athlete taken into custody in alleged rape case

A Southeast Missouri State University track and field athlete was booked into the Cape Girardeau County Jail early Sunday morning on charges of first-degree rape or attempted rape.

Michael J. Jenkins, 19, is a freshman jumper for the Southeast track and field team. He competed as recently as Saturday at the Ole Miss Classic in Oxford, Mississippi; the warrant for his arrest was issued Friday.

No details about the case were available Sunday.

Court records show Jenkins also had a full order of protection placed against him for stalking granted March 16, but it’s unknown at the moment whether the order is connected to his charges.

First-degree rape or attempted rape is an unclassified felony punishable by a minimum of five years in prison. Jenkins remains in custody at the Cape Girardeau County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond, according to jail records.

Attempts to contact Southeast officials — Deborah Below, vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Success, and Jeff Honza, assistant director of Athletics for Strategic Communication — for comment Sunday were unsuccessful.