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The case against an N.C. Central University student accused of raping a fellow student is now in limbo after a grand jury declined to indict him, The News & Observer has learned.
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Alan Webster III, 20, of Fuquay-Varina was arrested in April on a charge of second-degree forcible rape stemming from a Jan. 13 incident, The N&O previously reported. Webster was previously a member of the university’s track and field team, but was not part of the team by the time of his arrest, an NCCU spokesperson said.
It’s not clear when the university learned of the accusation. Its police department’s daily crime logs indicated the report was filed March 25, but a spokesperson said the allegations were made March 23, The N&O reported.
In order to proceed with a felony charge in superior court, at least 12 people on a grand jury of 18 must find probable cause for the defendant to be formally charged with the crimes presented by the District Attorney’s Office, according to state law. Prosecutors do not share evidence during grand jury proceedings — instead, the law enforcement officer who issued the initial charge testifies before the grand jury.
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Grand jury proceedings are secret, except for the indictment issued by the grand jury. In Webster’s case, the grand jury met Wednesday to hear evidence for probable cause, but did not find sufficient evidence to charge him with second-degree forcible rape, according to court documents.
Publicly available details on the accusations against Webster have been slim. NCCU has yet to fulfill an April 16 records request by The N&O for communications tied to the case, and a request for 911 calls was denied because the university had deleted the calls by the time it responded to the request.
Webster posted a $300,000 secured bail bond April 16 and remained out on house arrest as of Friday morning. His defense attorney, Emilia Beskind, declined to comment Friday. District Attorney Satana Deberry has not responded to a request for comment.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 11:02 AM.