A man raped a woman outside the Lutheran Church near downtown Clemson last month, according to the city of Clemson Police. City police have identified a suspect, but no arrests have been made.
City police responded to a criminal sexual conduct report at 3:49 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18.
That night, a 23-year-old female arrived at Oconee Memorial Hospital with “visible injury” to receive a sexual assault nurse examination.
The victim recounted her experience to an officer. She stated that a 28-year-old male had repeatedly pressured her to come downtown. After eventually agreeing, the man and his cousin picked her up. They bought her drinks downtown until she was intoxicated, according to the police report.
The victim then reported returning to the man’s vehicle with him and another unidentified male around 12:30 a.m. The man attempted to forcibly advance on her outside of the vehicle. As the victim physically and verbally resisted, the man said he would post her “on social media” if she didn’t cooperate, according to the report.
The man proceeded to rape the victim as his friend was “filming the encounter and laughing,” according to the police report. The man compelled the victim to return with him to his home in Central. The victim escaped after the man fell asleep by messaging a friend.
The city of Clemson Police Department has closed the case, citing the victim’s wish to not continue the investigation.