Why This WSU Student's Name Is On A List Of Accused Rapists

SEATTLE, WA - John's name appears at the bottom of a list of men accused of sexual assault on a website created by University of Washington students called Make Them Scared. There are few details other than that he allegedly carried out a rape at Washington State University in 2016, and that the incident was reported to police.

"Verbally harassed then followed into restroom and restrained," reads a description of what John allegedly did (we are not using his real name since he was not formally charged with a crime).

Of the more than 50 names on the Make Them Scared list, John's is one of the few where the victim reported the crime to police, and therefore one of the few instances where an accusation can be independently verified.

A review of the police reports around the case reveal much more than what appears on the Make Them Scared site. The reports reveal a victim who hesitated to take the matter to police, and eventually declined to press charges. And in just a few days, the protection order she got against John will expire, and it's unclear what that means for the victim.

The incident happened near midnight on Oct. 12, 2016. The victim went to a WSU fraternity for a homecoming party. The victim and John had a conversation where John apparently told the victim to stop telling people she was pre-med because "it made him feel bad."

Some time later, the victim went to use the bathroom. John allegedly followed her. Then, he allegedly "pushed her head into the sink, lifted her skirt up, and had sex with her from behind," the police report reads.

The victim cried during the attack, which lasted about five minutes, she told police. John later told police he thought the sex was consensual, although he admitted the victim started crying a few minutes in.

At first, the attack was handled between students, according to the police reports. The victim's friends came to get her after the attack, and her sorority president verified with the fraternity that John would get kicked out.

About two days after the attack, the victim decided to tell police what had happened. Not to pursue criminal charges, she said, but to document the rape. She also underwent an examination and Pullman police took custody of her rape kit and later transferred it to Washington State Patrol for testing. She made it clear to police that she thought John getting kicked out of his frat was punishment enough.

"I do not wish to go on with this investigation," she hand-wrote on a police form on Oct. 14, 2016.

She secured a protection order against John in Pullman district court, according to police records. It expires next week. According to a WSU spokesman, the victim can extend the protection order. Otherwise, the dean of students will work with the victim to make sure she doesn't share classes or close living arrangements with the perpetrator.

It's unclear if John and the victim still even attend WSU. Her identity has been kept confidential by police and Make Them Scared. A message sent to John via LinkedIn was not returned. Multiple requests for comment from the Make Them Scared administrators were not returned.

The Make Them Scared site has drawn criticism for its approach. The UW Daily wrote in an editorial, "[the site] circumvents due process and trivializes the seriousness with which accusations ought to be received."

But the site may serve an important purpose for sexual assault victims. According to experts, an assault robs a victim of autonomy. Having the power to freely report the incident can be empowering for the victim.

"Part of what a survivor can control after such a traumatic event is their own story; whether to report, and if so, when, how and to whom," King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) spokeswoman Laurel Redden said.

That matches with what the Make Them Scared administrators wrote about why the site exists.

"The mission of this site is to make information that is usually buried and silenced publicly available, to make the world a safer place, and to give victims a means of obtaining justice in a world whose institutions are biased against them," the site reads.

Resources For Sexual Assault Victims

KING COUNTY: If you have experienced sexual assault and need support, or if you would like more information about sexual violence, call King County Sexual Assault Resource Center’s 24-hour Resource Line at 888.99.VOICE or visit www.kcsarc.org/gethelp.

WASHINGTON STATE: A listing of resources is available through the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs at http://www.wcsap.org/find-help

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