An investigation into allegations of rape on the campus of Cowley College should conclude by early next week, Arkansas City Police Chief Sean Wallace said late Friday. The police will turn results over to county prosecutors who will decide whether to file formal charges.
Police have been gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses since Nov. 30 when an 18-year-old student reported she had been sexually assaulted in the Kirke W. Dale dormitory, where she resides.
The woman, who had been drinking, said the rape occurred some time on the evening of Nov. 29 or early the morning of Nov. 30.
A 22 year-old male was identified as a suspect in the case but police determined there was not sufficient evidence to make an immediate arrest. The suspect denies that a sexual assault took place.
“We are taking this very seriously and will turn our results over to the county attorney to see if charges are warranted,” Wallace said.
The investigation, he said, has been complicated by the fact that the man and woman were “kind of a couple” and “knew each other.”
“What makes it difficult is that people saw them together and say everything looked just fine,” Wallace said. “That doesn’t mean that anything that happened was OK, but it does make it harder to know.”
Police have interviewed 16 people in connection with the case and some have been reinterviewed as the investigation continued. The incident apparently occurred following a small party on the third floor of the dormitory.
Following the party, the 18-year-old woman woke up in the suspect’s room. Based on various circumstances and where she woke up, she believed she had been raped, police said.
“His story, of course, was different,” Wallace said.
The woman was taken to the hospital in Winfield where she underwent an extensive examination. Forensic evidence has also been collected from the suspect.
Cowley College officials have been cooperating with police as the investigation continues. The school has taken no action against anyone involved in the incident at this point, spokesperson Rama Peroo said.
“We’re cooperating with police and waiting to learn the results of the investigation,” he said.
Wallace is concerned that the incident is yet another police investigation that involves underage drinking. Ark City police have conducted 18 rape investigations this year and 33 percent have involved underage drinking.
Another 20 percent involved adults who consumed alcohol.
“We don’t blame the victim, sexual assault should not happen to anyone,” he said. “But alcohol makes it more difficult for a person to get the message across that they mean ‘no’. And for the person wanting sex, it impairs their ability to offer a person the respect that they deserve.”
