Jones student accused of sexual assault on fellow student
Jones School of Business student Christopher Steiner, 30, has been accused of burglary with intent to commit another felony – sexual assault of a fellow student, according to recent court records. The case was filed with the Harris County District Attorney's office on Monday.
According to court records, the alleged victim told police that she woke up in her bed with Steiner on top of her in his underwear, touching her private parts. According to court records, Steiner walked in through an unlocked front door and then the closed bedroom door. Acording to court records, the alleged victim screamed and Steiner left. According to court records, he later made a second attempt to enter her apartment, at which point she called the Rice University Police Department.
The accused and alleged victim live in the same apartment building on Kirby, and though they are not friends, she was able to identify him by sight, according to the police report.
Steiner has given a written apology to the victim, ABC13 reported.
If convicted, Steiner, who matriculated as a Rice graduate student this fall, could face prison time and a $10,000 fine. He was released on a $20,000 bond.
Both the Jones Business School and RUPD declined to comment as the case is still pending.
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice lands high on Niche, Forbes college ranking lists
Rice recently ranked No. 10 on Niche’s Best Colleges in America list and No. 12 on Forbes’ annual America’s Top Colleges list in 2026. It was also recognized in several categories by the Princeton Review, placing in the top 10 in four categories.
From post-human novels to augmented reality, Rice hires new faculty
Rice welcomed 97 new professors this fall across disciplines, including a posthumanist Harvard scholar, a husband-wife duo and a computer science professor who graduated from Rice thrice.
First public of the year reckons with threats of a dry campus
After a Dis-O that saw four times as many calls for intoxication-related transports of students to the hospital compared to the prior three years, Cory Voskanian, a Martel College socials head tasked with planning the first public of the year, said that he was feeling the pressure.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.