Sixth Sexual Assault Case Concerning CU Surfaces
Boulder Police Release Report Filed In August 2002
POSTED: 11:24 am MST February 19, 2004
UPDATED: 5:56 pm MST February 19, 2004
DENVER -- Police are investigating another alleged sexual assault involving a University of Colorado football player, the sixth case to surface in a ever-growing sex scandal at the school, officials acknowledged Thursday.
Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said the alleged assault occurred in August 2002.
"This was a particularly brutal case," Beckner said. The alleged victim said she was sodomized. In the latest case, the woman told police she met two men at a bar the night of Aug. 23, 2002 but had trouble remembering what happened afterward. She told police "she may have been drugged." The woman reported a bump on her forehead and bleeding from what she told police was a sexual assault. One of the witnesses interviewed by police, a bartender, refused to disclose the names of two men in the bar that night. "He said he would not risk getting them into trouble because, 'They're on scholarships, I can't do that to them,"' police said. Beckner said the victim had difficulty identifying a suspect, but authorities eventually focused on two football players. DNA tests ruled out one as a suspect. "The DNA didn't match," Beckner said in a telephone interview. "We are going to resubmit the DNA of the second player." He said tests had been delayed because of a backlog at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which has suffered major budget cuts, and because a court order was required to get the evidence. The case has not yet been presented to the district attorney's office for review. Beckner said the woman wants the case prosecuted. The police chief said he was not surprised that more women have been coming forward to report sexual assaults since the federal lawsuits were filed against the university. Rape counselors say publicizing reports gives victims the courage to come forward. "It does tend to snowball," Beckner said.The news came hours after football coach Gary Barnett was placed on administrative leave for criticizing the athletic ability of former CU kicker Katie Hnida.
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