Late Friday, Officer David Baker detained two male suspects on campus
Andrea Vedder Ryan Deming At around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, David Baker of the PSU Campus Public Safety Office discovered two men sexually assaulting a woman between the Harder House and Parkway buildings, on Southwest Market Street between 10th and Park Avenues.
According to CPSO Director Phillip Zerzan, Officer Baker was alone and stopped the sexual assault in progress. Baker then detained the two male suspects, who were picked up by the Portland Police at 12:38 a.m. and booked into the Multnomah County Jail about a half hour later.
Baker was unavailable for comment at press time.
According to the police report, Leslie Lee Thornton, Jr., 30, was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and first-degree sex abuse; Timothy Nathaniel Hogue was charged with first-degree rape.
The victim was a 43-year-old woman, and although the police report states that she was not physically injured during the assault, she was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
No one involved with the suspected crime was affiliated with PSU.
The victim had been drinking prior to the assault, according to the police report, but Chad Reed, assistant manager of the nearby Market Street Pub, said the brewpub staff had “no idea” whether she had been drinking at their bar.
“Nobody had any clue what was going on,” Reed said. The brewpub—the nearest business open at the time of the assault—was alerted to the assault and police activity by Southpark Square’s security guard, according to Reed.
The victim did not know the suspects, and detectives from the Portland Police Bureau’s Sex Crimes Unit reported that the assault appears to be a crime of opportunity.
Kudos to Baker and CPSO for catching those involved. Sad to hear we only had one officer available to deal with that. Glad to see Baker accomplish this task alone but CPSO needs additional staff and additional resources. What if these men were armed?
Sexual assault is itself harmful and physically injurious. The information that this woman was not physically injured even though the perpetrators were charged with sodomy and rape apparently comes from the police report, but the Vanguard should correct this societal misinformation and acknowledge that penetration is an inherently forceful act – no additional beating up is required. If you are going to mention that the victim was drinking, use it as an opportunity to point out that sexual predators like these don’t just happen upon an opportunity – they target victims who they thing will lack credibility. An adult woman has a right to drink voluntarily – she is not asking to be raped. Please educate yourselves and do not engage in victim blaming.