Wright State University police investigated nine alleged rapes in 2014 and 2015, one of which led to an arrest this year.
Several cases were closed because the victim didn’t want to press charges. One said she blamed herself for bringing home a guy she met on the social app MeetMe. Another said “she feels she is not strong enough to face the scrutiny of going through the legal system over her sexual assault.”
Other cases were closed after the Greene County Prosecutor declined to bring charges, including one where charges were dropped after the suspect refused to provide a statement.
Cases that weren’t prosecuted include:
Sept. 26,2015
He was a friend. And it wasn’t unusual for him to stop by her room. She put on a movie.
Then, she said, he began to touch her. She moved his hand, but he persisted, she told investigators, turning her onto her stomach, pulling down her pants as she struggled and yelled at him to stop. Then he raped her.
She reported the incident to police three days later.
She had thrown out the condom and washed her sheets. Police took her to the hospital for a rape kit. She was assigned a victim advocate. She said she wanted to pursue criminal charges.
On Oct. 2, WSU police called the suspect. He said he had contacted University Student Legal Services and didn’t want to talk to police until he had consulted an attorney.
Five days later police spoke to another attorney hired by his parents.
“(Redacted) stated her client (redacted) would not be coming in to speak with me,” the officer wrote. “(Redacted) stated ‘There is no benefit in sitting down and talking to you.’ ”
The attorney asked officers to email any questions they had, which police did.
“(Redacted) stated they would wait until charges were filed,” the report says.
On Dec. 10, WSU police received a letter from the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office.
The letter stated that the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office would not be proceeding with criminal charges in this case “due to insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a felony offense occurred.”
Nov. 8, 2014
The alleged victim and her roommate left a party with two men and went back to the women’s dorm. When they got home the roommate went into her room with one of the guys, and the other guy allegedly jumped into bed with the victim and began removing her clothes.
“(Redacted) told the male subject that she did not want her clothes being taken off. The male subject continued to take clothes off,” the police report says. “The male then laid on top of (redacted) and (had sex with her).”
“(Redacted) continued to tell the male subject to stop, but the male subject continued.”
She said she asked him to leave, but he refused, saying his friend was still in the other room.
After he left in the morning, she went to the hospital for medical attention. Police were called, but the victim didn’t want to cooperate with an investigation.
“(Redacted) did not want to file charges in reference to this incident. (She) also advised that she did not want to tell me the name of the male subject who had sexually assaulted her,” the police report says.
“(Redacted) also advised that she did not want to give the suspect description. Only advised that he was a Wright State University student.”
Wright State responds
The decision whether to press charges in a criminal case rests with the county prosecutor, but Wright State University officials say they do everything they can to support victims through the Title IX process.
The goal of Title IX is “to provide the safest environment possible for the campus community, as well as when something has occurred to restore the people affected to the best opportunity for them to pursue living, learning and working in an environment free of harassment and sexual violence,” said WSU Title IX Coordinator Matt Boaz.
Some have called for Title IX coordinators to be added to the list of non-mandatory reporters, meaning assaults reported to officials such as Boaz wouldn’t have to be immediately reported to police. This would allow the victim to get support and prepare himself or herself for the criminal justice process.
But it could also delay investigations and put these cases into the less transparent university disciplinary system with no guarantee they would be referred to law enforcement.
>> RELATED: Mary's story highlights barriers to convicting alleged campus rapes
>> IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION: 79 cases, 5 arrests, 0 rape convictions
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