By John Brown and Alicia A. Caldwell
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 14, 1997

Night of drinking ended in alleged rape, police say

Tucson police have completed their initial investigation into an alcohol-related rape of an 18-year-old freshman that allegedly occurred last month near campus.

According to Tucson Police Department reports, a Gamma Phi Beta pledge called police after her Sept. 19 encounter with two 20-year-old male students at University Heights Apartments, 1201 N. Park Ave. One of the students is a Sigma Alpha Epsilon member, reports stated.

The student told police she started the evening by drinking with SAE pledges at the apartment complex. She said she had four to five "jungle juice" drinks, a mixture of fruit juice, vodka and Everclear, before heading to a party at SAE's fraternity house, police reports stated.

The student told police she had several more drinks at the fraternity party where she met the SAE member who invited her back to his apartment at University Heights for more drinking, reports stated.

According to police reports, the woman told police she was drunk and remembers very little about being at the apartment, but awoke in bed with two male students who were having non-consensual sex with her.

She grabbed her clothes and went to a friend's apartment in the complex, who took her to University Medical Center for treatment, reports stated. The student filed her first report with police about 5:30 a.m. at the hospital.

Tucson police detectives visited the male students, both residents of the apartment complex, who declined to talk to police without consulting with their attorneys, police reports stated.

TPD's case will be reviewed by the Pima County Attorney's Office.

SAE President Brant Wiedhardt did not return phone calls last night.

Gamma Phi Beta chapter adviser Yvette Vreeman said the house had no official comment regarding the incident.