Man charged with sexually assaulting student in University of Delaware dorm room
A Pennsylvania man has been charged with raping and assaulting an undergraduate in her University of Delaware dorm room earlier this year.
After months of investigation, Cezanne S. Hoag surrendered to law enforcement on April 17. The 22-year-old from Lititz was not affiliated with UD, according to the university, and now faces seven charges, including four felonies.
The university said the woman did know her attacker when the incident occurred about three months ago.
On Jan. 25, the student told police she met Hoag on a dating app called Hinge, and the two made plans to meet at her dorm within the University Courtyard Apartments. Around 7 p.m., court documents show, the assault began to unfold.
Sometime after he arrived, Hoag 'grabbed her buttocks aggressively" and began to sexually assault her. Court records describe Hoag as having repeated non-consensual intercourse and grabbing her by the neck to flip her body, at least twice. The student told police she sobbed due to pain and froze in fear, leaving her unable to speak during the assault.
UD police cameras show Hoag exited the building in line with the student's timeline given to police, according to court records.
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Documents don't explain how this student got away, but she reached Christiana Hospital's emergency room in Stanton, where a nurse notified university police. Exams showed the student had bruising on her neck and other parts of her body.
UD police issued an alert about the reported sexual assault around 3 a.m. on Jan. 25, in compliance with federal law.
On April 18, in consultation with the Delaware Department of Justice's Special Victims Unit, police charged Hoag with two counts of second-degree rape, two counts of third-degree rape, two counts of unlawful sexual contact and one count of third-degree assault. He was released after posting $81,500 bail and banned from UD property.
A university spokesman said the university takes all claims of sexual assault seriously, and it "has made all support resources available to the victim, and we can confirm that there is no active campus safety risk" at this point. UD also offered resources from student counseling, to student advocacy and support and more.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com. Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Pennsylvania man charged with sexually assaulting UD student in dorm
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