Pretrial motions moved forward in the case of Marshall Thompson, the man arrested on Aug. 27 for entering a female graduate students' Hamilton College House room and assaulting her.
Though the trial date has not yet been set, Judge Steven Geroff was assigned to preside over the hearings.
In addition, a pre-trial conference was set for Feb. 4. At this time, attorneys for both the defense and prosecution will update Geroff on the proceedings of the case.
Marshall, an employee of Penn Jersey Window Cleaning, faces charges of burglary, criminal trespass, unlawful restraint, indecent assault and simple assault.
The 30-year old allegedly entered the room of a female graduate student early last fall, grabbing her shoulders from behind and pressing his body against her back.
In the wake of the event, debate loomed over the legality of Thompson's alleged entering of the room.
Michael Contos of the Philadelphia Defenders Association, who was representing Thompson during the time, noted that Thompson's alleged entering of the room fell under University guidelines.
However, Faculty Director of College Houses and Academic Services Phil Nichols later refuted Contos' comment.
"The attorney was dead wrong," Nichols told the Daily Pennsylvanian on Nov. 19. Maintenance persons "do not go into students' rooms. Period."
Representatives from the District Attorney's office said they are confident in bringing the maximum charges in the hearings.
"We have an excellent case," said Cathie Abookire, a spokeswoman from the District Attorney's office. "We have very strong evidence and an excellent witness."
Assistant District Attorney Rich DeSipio will try the case on behalf of the prosecution. He, along with Thompson's attorney from the Philadelphia Defenders Association, will meet with Geroff several more times before the start of the trial.
At these meetings,they will set the trial date and resolve other pre-trial matters.
Representatives from the Public Defender's Office could not be reached for comment.
