Langston University official cleared of wrongdoing

Charles King, the university's vice president for institutional advancement and development, was placed on leave after university officials became concerned King was involved in an assault on campus.

University officials said Monday they had concluded no such assault ever took place, and that King had committed no impropriety or wrongdoing.

“After reviewing a matter that initially involved a concern on the part of a Langston police officer who was carrying out his duty, university officials and the OSBI both quickly concluded there was no impropriety or wrongdoing that warranted any further review of Mr. King or his computer,” LU President Kent Smith said in a statement.

“Langston University was happy to cooperate with law enforcement, and Mr. King was also fully cooperative throughout the review.”

July 29 incident

According to a university report, the matter arose from an incident on the evening of July 29, in which King and another LU staff member saw a boy wandering in a parking lot near the university's administration building.

After attempting to contact the boy's mother in Oklahoma City, King notified police officials in Oklahoma City and Guthrie, as well as university police.

According to the report, the boy, who lives with his great-grandparents in Langston, wouldn't answer questions about how he had arrived on campus and why he was there.

Although the boy never told police anything to indicate he'd been the victim of an assault, a campus police officer “considered the possibility” the boy had been assaulted, school officials said.