photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Illinois basketball player Terrence Edward Shannon, right, is pictured with his attorney, Thomas Bath, at a hearing on Friday, May 10, 2024, in Douglas County District Court. Shannon was ordered to stand trial on a rape charge for an incident at a Lawrence bar in September 2023.

A University of Illinois basketball player accused of rape at a Lawrence bar told the court on Friday that he was ready for trial and has rejected a plea offer from the state for a lesser crime.

Terrence Edward Shannon, 23, of Champaign, Illinois, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of rape or, in the alternative, one felony count of aggravated sexual battery, according to charging documents. The incident is alleged to have occurred on Sept. 9, 2023, at the Jayhawk Cafe, 1340 Ohio St., while Shannon was in Kansas to attend a KU football game against Illinois.

Shannon appeared via video conference Friday in Judge Sally Pokorny’s courtroom while his attorney Tricia Bath appeared in person. The state, represented by Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden, said that the state had attempted to negotiate a plea. He said the state was willing to amend the charge to one felony count of aggravated battery that was sexually motivated. Seiden said the charge would have required Shannon to register as a sex offender for 15 years but that the state would recommend suspending any prison sentence to probation.

Pokorny asked if Shannon understood the agreement and had discussed it with his attorney. Shannon said he was aware of the negotiation and had discussed it with Bath a couple of weeks ago and had rejected it.

Shannon was ordered to stand trial in May after a woman testified that at the Jayhawk Cafe Shannon called her over to him and that when she approached he grabbed her by the buttocks, then sexually assaulted her with his fingers.

Shannon testified at that hearing and denied having any contact with the woman.

Bath has filed a motion to receive additional evidence from the state but in a different case. She said that there was another allegation of rape at the bar less than two weeks prior in the same room and vicinity as the alleged incident that Shannon is charged in connection with.

Bath argued that the incidents could be related and that whoever committed the previous assault also could have assaulted the woman who is accusing Shannon.

Seiden said that the previous assault case had been dismissed and that the state was certain the two incidents were not related. He said that identity was not an issue in the case so introducing another suspect wouldn’t be appropriate.

Bath asked the court to review the case for the court to make that determination itself. The woman in the Shannon case testified that she didn’t actually see who was assaulting but that she was looking out into the crowded bar. Pokorny agreed to review the case and said she would inform the parties via email if there was anything she felt was of relevance that warranted further action.

Shannon is scheduled to go to trial on June 10. He is currently free on a $50,000 bond.