Evergreen State College student arrested on suspicion of rape

OLYMPIA — A 20-year-old student at The Evergreen State College was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of third-degree rape and fourth-degree assault based on a female student's accusations about an incident at his dorm Saturday, court papers state.

The student, who is from Minnesota, was ordered released on his personal recognizance at a hearing in Thurston County Superior Court on Thursday. Such a release means a defendant does not have to post bond.

The student, who has no prior criminal history, is temporarily suspended from college and is barred from campus as he awaits disposition of the case, court papers say.

According to a declaration supporting probable cause filed by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Wheeler:

The woman reported the rape to Evergreen police Tuesday. She said that after returning to campus from a visit at a friend's, she stopped by the smoking pit. She met the young man there, and he asked her whether she'd be interested in going to his dorm to listen to music and drink beer.

She said she went to his dorm, and they began kissing after about 2 1/2 hours. She said that during intercourse, she told him to stop twice. She also said that the young man bit her twice. She said he then told her he wanted to have sex again, and she said no. She said he grabbed her by the chin and pushed her against a door. She said she then left.

The female student went to Evergreen's Health Services on Monday to report the rape. She said she waited until then because they were closed Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesday, the woman had a rape exam at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. Photographs taken of the woman's injuries supported her account of what had happened, the declaration says.