Articles Posted in Sexual Assault

Original Details

Back in 2011, the Obama administration made a directive demanding universities to improve their policies regarding sexual assault claims on campus. In an effort to empower and encourage victims to come forward in the event of a sexual assault, many changes were required of university policy and procedure in how to handle sexual assault complaints. One major change was to empower a single investigator who is a university employee or outside expert to do all of the interviews regarding everyone involved in a sexual assault complaint. This investigator would interview the accused, the accuser, and any other witnesses. This investigator then compiles the results of these interviews into reports and makes recommendations. This approach led to many complaints saying that the accused is not being afforded due process or a right to cross examine their accuser. Many lawsuits against universities were then filed by both survivors of sexual assault as well as men who were falsely accused. The common theme in these lawsuits is that the universities were not handling these cases properly and were not qualified to lead these types of investigations.

The Changes Implemented

A plastic surgeon out of Toledo, OH with an office in Taylor, MI has been indicted with illegally dispensing controlled substances, aggravated sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. He is accused of drugging multiple women, raping them and recording the acts on camera. He was arrested by the FBI and has been booked at the Lucas County Corrections Center. The doctor is licensed in both Michigan and Ohio and has three offices between both states. His case now goes before a federal grand jury as he has waived his preliminary hearing. He will remain in custody pending his appearance before the federal grand jury. He did not challenge his detention on this court date.

Original Case Details

The original accusation against this doctor came from a woman who shared that she worked as a high-end escort and engaged in sexual activity for money with the doctor. This event allegedly took place at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Los Angeles back in September of 2016. She alleged that she first performed consensual oral sex on the doctor before dinner but would not allow it to be recorded. After the dinner, she believed she was drugged, raped and recorded without her consent. The woman left the hotel room in the morning and sought the help of a client who was an anesthesiologist who found that the woman tested positive for benzodiazepine in her urine. This drug is a type of tranquilizer. Other women have since made similar accusations against the doctor. The FBI obtained a search warrant and found five thumb drives that allegedly contained 5 different videos of the doctor engaging in sex acts with four different women, who were all unconscious. The FBI also seized large amounts of controlled substances from the doctor which included valium, fentanyl and morphine. The doctor had also received a shipment of ketamine two weeks prior to the first alleged incident. The Assistant United States Attorney handling this case stated in court that they believe they have found over 20 different victims recorded on different devices.

Dating violence is far more common than most of us think, and often involves sexual assault or “rape.”  Whether a couple has been dating for a year or it is a first date makes no difference.  A forced sexual act without the consent of the other person is unlawful, and could result in criminal charges if the alleged victim decides to come forth and report it to law enforcement.  Dating violence in Michigan as well as other states knows no boundaries in terms of age; sexual assault can happen to someone who’s 13, 18, 40, 60, or even older.

In some cases of sexual assault a victim may have been drugged with a “date rape” drug such as Rohypnol, a powerful sedative.  In other cases, those involved in a dating relationship may have engaged in drug activity, drinking alcohol, or other substances that can impair a person’s ability to think rationally.  In many cases of dating violence involving sexual assault, there are no outside factors – it’s simply a case of one person wanting to engage in sex, while the other person doesn’t.  When one party does not consent or give permission to engage in sex (regardless of whether the non-consenting person is male or female), he or she may be the victim of sexual assault or rape.
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Most people who think of sex offenders automatically believe a male is the perpetrator. The fact is, the incidence of sexual violence or assault involving women who are the offenders is growing. While the tendency to commit sexual crimes can emerge in adolescence, many offenses involving teens or adults go unreported, regardless of whether the alleged offender is male or female.

Approximately 9% of youths report they were the victims of some form of sexual violence in a Growing Up With Media national study in 2010 in which information was collected online. The acts committed against these youths included coercive sex, forced sexual contact, attempted rape, and completed rape. Interestingly, the results of the study found that while males were more likely to commit a sex-related offense against a younger victim, offenses in which females were the perpetrators most often involved victims who were older. Additionally, the study concluded that males tend to commit sexual violence at an earlier age than females, which may suggest different developmental courses.

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On Monday, a Knoxville Police Dept. file was released which documents a three-month long investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman by a University of Tennessee football player on September 20 of last year. While the player’s name has not been released, he will not face sexual assault charges according to news reports.

The woman claimed she had been having drinks at a bar with some friends, and the next thing she was aware of was waking up naked in the bed of a white male who was a stranger; he reportedly asked her to leave his apartment. The woman didn’t remember anything in between, and claimed she had been sexually assaulted.

The woman did have a rape exam two days later, however police were not notified until September 23. Documents in the police file included an email from District Attorney Charme Allen dated December 8 in which the DA declined to prosecute the player. Other documentation in the file revealed that a DNA test showed no identifying matches to the man accused, nor was there any evidence of semen.

In May of this year, 30-year-old Christopher Lee, a former dean’s assistant at St. Charles North High School was charged with criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse after engaging in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl at the school.  Lee has pleaded not guilty.  Now his attorney has filed a motion which seeks to allow Lee to assert a mistake-of-age defense.  He is currently free on $50,000 bail.

In Illinois, the legal age of consent is 17, he age the alleged victim was at the time.  Lee’s attorney maintains the case stems from “consensual sex,” however his client is currently unable to use the mistake-of-age defense due to the fact he allegedly committed the crimes he is charged with while in a “position of trust.”  When a case involves a teacher, school employee, or someone who is considered to be in a position of trust, authority, or supervision, the age of consent rises to 18.
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Recently, a 32-year-old man who allegedly raped a 7-year-old girl on Staten Island was apprehended and arrested by police in New Jersey. The girl was reportedly raped sometime prior to 2:45 a.m. on August 6 at her home.

According to news reports, Daniel Nieto entered the home where the young girl lived through an unlocked door, then sexually assaulted the victim. Ironically, Nieto had been arrested for criminal trespass for hanging out in a vacant home just a short time following the sexual assault, although police were not aware the rape had occurred. After being charged with criminal trespass, Nieto was released. It would take police 12 days to find Nieto and arrest him in connection with the rape.

Ultimately, police caught Nieto in East Brunswick, NJ and took him into custody on Tuesday, August 18. At last news reports, charges against him were pending as the suspect is being extradited to Staten Island to face charges.

In August of 2013, Thomas F. Bolton of Wilhoit, AZ allegedly raped a 16-year-old girl at his home. Bolton was convicted of sexually assaulting and kidnapping the underage victim, and was sentenced on June 30 to 14 years in prison. He was also sentenced to 10 years on the kidnapping charges.

The victim in the case told authorities that while at his home, Wilhoit forcibly removed her clothes and held her down to rape her. Wilhoit allegedly stopped assaulting the girl when her boyfriend showed up at the home. He told a deputy that Bolton has his girlfriend pinned to a bed, and that he heard her saying “no.” Bolton denied having sexual contact with the girl, but was charged with harassment after driving to a business in Wilhoit in September of last year where he allegedly blocked a vehicle containing the victim and a friend in a parking lot.

According to a news report at CBS 5 in Arizona, Bolton’s sentences will run concurrently, and he will service the full 14-year sentence for sexual assault.

On Sunday, May 10 at approximately 5 a.m., a 27-year-old woman claims a man tried to sexually assault her as she was riding a CTA Red Line train between the Fullerton and North/Clybourn stations, according to a news article at the Chicago Tribune. The two were the only passengers on the train according to ABC news report.

Ronald Sparks, a 34-year-old South Side man, was ultimately arrested in the case after police sent out surveillance photos in a community alert on Sunday evening. According to Officer Janel Sedevic, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department, the alleged victim declined medical attention.

Thomas Hunt of the Guardian Angels handed out fliers with surveillance photos of the suspect early Monday morning, and said he was not surprised Sparks was caught due to the clarity of the photos. He went on to say that CTA spent a considerable amount of time and effort installing the surveillance cameras.

Recently, two Troy University students were arrested in regards to a sexual assault that allegedly occurred in March over spring break at Panama City Beach in Florida, according to an article at the New York Times.

News reports claim a 19-year-old woman who was incapacitated and believed she had been drugged was sexually assaulted as hundreds of beach goers looked on. The two men who were arrested include 23-year-old Ryan Austin Calhoun or Mobile, AL, and 22-year-old Delonte Martistee of Bainbridge, GA. Sheriff Frank McKeithen said that they were also searching for two more people, a third man they believed may have been involved in the “gang-rape-type attack,” and a fourth person whose role was not specified.

The alleged victim said that she did not recall the assault clearly enough to report it, as she believed she had been drugged. Authorities learned of the sexual assault after a video of the assault captured on a cell phone was discovered while investigating another incident. The video was then sent by Troy police to the sheriff’s office in Florida. After reviewing the cell phone video, authorities identified the woman and determined the sexual assault occurred behind the Spinnaker Beach Club. Calhoun and Martistee were being extradited to Bay County, where the sexual assault took place.

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