A suspected date rapist will never be charged following a decision from the Elko County District Attorney office that there was either not enough evidence or that the evidence was contradictory to obtain an arrest warrant let alone a conviction.
The decision may have surprised West Wendover Police who had portrayed the case as a virtual slam dunk for the prosecution this June.
Then the West Wendover Police Department announced there was a suspect in the date rape of a woman at casino.
“All we are waiting for is the DNA test results for a positive ID,” said WWPD Lt. Donald Lininger at the time..
According to Lininger the woman reported to friends in Salt Lake that she had blacked out during a getaway to Wendover.
“Her friends suspected she had been slipped a date rape drug and urged her to go to a local hospital emergency room.” Lininger said. “The examination confirmed that she was sexually assaulted and the toxicology report also confirmed she had ingested Gamma-Hydroxy butyric Acid.”
Commonly known as GHB, in addition Dextromethorphan, commonly known as Ecstasy combined with sleep-aid drugs.
“It was fortunate that the victim went quickly to the ER,” Lininger said at the time. “GHB quickly dissipates in the body and with no evidence it is very hard to prosecute of sexual assault. With the presence of GHB confirmed we have a solid case.”
Not solid enough however for the Elko District Attorney.
“The surveillance tapes of the incident did not indicate that the woman was unwilling victim.” Lining explained.
In some jurisdiction however the very presence of GHB is enough to charge for date rape if the victim presses charges. That behavior may have also been the result of the drug. GHB is often taken or administered because users find that it enhances their experiences of being in a club, party, or rave; small doses of GHB can act as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. GHB is sometimes referred to as liquid ecstasy, lollipops, liquid X or liquid E due to its tendency to produce euphoria and sociability and its use in the dance party scene.
Preventing date rape drugs may get easier in the future as a pair of Israeli scientists claim to have developed a chemical sensor that detects whether a drink has been spiked with the most common date-rape drugs.
Professor Fernando Patolsky and Doctor Michael Ioffe of Tel Aviv University, both chemists, say their detection system, which is still under development, works in real-time, and has 100 percent accuracy.
“You just dip it into your drink, it might actually look like a stirrer in the final production, it’s tiny, very tiny,” said Ioffe
.The WWPD released this flier to prevent date rape
TIPS FOR PARTYING SMART
1. Stick with your friends.
2. Make a plan before you go out. Set up checkpoints or code words to make it easy for you and your friends to stay connected.
3. Hold on to your drink—even when you go to the bathroom.
4. If your drink is out of your sight, even for a few seconds, get a new one. Spiking a drink with a date rape drug can happen quickly.
5. Don’t accept a drink from anyone—unless you can watch the bartender pour it.
6. Don’t share drinks.
7. Don’t drink from punch bowls or open containers.
8. Don’t drink anything that tastes strange.
9. Avoid clubs or parties that charge men but let women enter and drink for free.
10. Always keep your cell phone charged and on you. You never know when you’ll need it.
11. Make sure you always have a ride home or a plan to walk home with a friend or roommate.
12. Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right to you, leave and get to a safe place immediately.
If you feel that you are in danger, or need Police assistance call 911