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NEWS
[ Monday, Feb. 20, 1989 ]
 
University student charged with rape of female student in male dormitory

Collegian Staff Writer

A University sophomore was charged Thursday with raping a University woman in his Packer Hall residence on Oct. 14, a court official said Friday.

Leo Garcia, 19, of 721 Packer, has been charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault, a spokeswoman for District Justice Clifford Yorks said.

He was arraigned before Yorks Thursday and ordered to appear Feb. 22 at 2:30 p.m. in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas for a preliminary hearing, the spokeswoman said.

Garcia, a resident of Caguas, Puerto Rico, was released after his arraignment on $25,000 supervised bail, the spokeswoman said. Under the conditions of supervised bail, Garcia must report periodically to court-appointed officials that monitor his movements.

Court records allege Garcia (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) raped the woman while she slept on a bed in his residence hall. The woman was intoxicated at the time, records say.

The woman, who knew of Garcia through mutual friends, met him at a party in State College on the night of the incident, records say. He allegedly offered to walk her home after the party.

On the way to her residence hall, Garcia reportedly asked if they could stop at his dorm so he could make a phone call.

She reportedly "fell asleep or passed out" on a bed in the room while Garcia made his phone call, and awoke to find her clothes in "disarray," the spokeswoman said.

"I didn't do anything you didn't want done," Garcia reportedly told the woman after she questioned him about the state of her clothing, the spokeswoman said.

University police officials said they waited for results of a FBI laboratory report of evidence taken from the victim before charging Garcia with rape.

"We waited until we were assured we had probable cause that a rape had occurred," said University Police Services Officer Delmar Woodring, who investigated the case.

Garcia was also referred to the University's Office of Conduct Standards, and faces school sanctions if found guilty in the incident, police said.

Donald Suit, director of the Office of Conduct Standards, said he could not release information in cases involving individual students. But he said a student found guilty of rape by the University is usually expelled.

 

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