An Iowa City judge has ruled that Tarsha Michelle Claiborne, the black student accused of sending racist e-mails within the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry, will stay in jail until her April 30 preliminary hearing.

This ruling came just shortly after the Johnson County District Associate Judge Sylvia Lewis heard the pleas of Lillie Claiborne, the suspect’s mother. Claiborne asked the judge for leniency during her daughter’s bond-review hearing last Friday.

Lillie Claiborne testified that Tarsha, second-year dental student, needed psychiatric help when her father died after a four-year battle with cancer and the loss of her grandfather.

Tarsha Claiborne’s court-appointed lawyer, Richard Klausner, also asked the judge to release his client during the hearing. However, Lewis’ decision left Claiborne in jail at $58,000 bail.

Claiborne was arrested April 20 in connection with racist e-mails and a bomb threat to the College of Dentistry. She is also accused of leaving a note on the door of a classmate reading “dead black man’s brains” accompanied by a plate of noodles dyed red, said Ann Rhodes, vice president of University Relations.

Rhodes said that during Claiborne’s interview with the police, she admitted to the charges filed against her. Police are still investigating if Claiborne was connected with the April 6 burning of a dental student’s lab coat that occurred after the first few e-mails were sent, she said.

Claiborne is accused of six counts of third-degree harassment, making a threat in violation of individual civil rights, criminal trespass-hate crime and possession of marijuana, according to reports.

Rhodes said no date for trial has been set yet, but after the trial, university officials will decide what Claiborne’s academic status will be.

“In all likelihood, she will be expelled,” Rhodes said. “However, no decision has been made. Down the line, the dean, graduate dean and several people will be involved in deciding that.”

In the meantime, Rhodes said U of I is trying to put together programs to help people work through their concerns and questions.

“Obviously, we are really concerned about minority students who are reacting to this. This has put a lot of people under stress, considering the actual case and that finals are coming up,” Rhodes said. “People are fairly shocked but glad it’s over.”