A 22-year-old man who was formerly a student at California State University at Monterey Bay was given a 14-year sentence for sexual assault and burglary, Monterey County prosecutors reported Tuesday.
Ruben Rodriguez was convicted of forcible digital penetration for assaulting a female student, named Jane Doe in court proceedings. The attack happened in the early morning hours of May 18, 2016, on the last day of spring semester at the university, according to prosecutors.
Rodriguez removed a screen door of a ground-level room, entered, removed his clothing and climbed into the Doe’s bed to sexually assault her with his hands, prosecutors said.
Doe fought him off and pushed him out of the apartment but he returned one hour later, entered through the same window and went to her room to say he “couldn’t resist,” according to prosecutors.
The woman lived at the Promontory apartment with three other students, and prosecutors said Rodriguez fled when she tried to alert a roommate.
At the sentencing hearing, Doe said her life was changed forever by the assault and that she considered herself a survivor, rather than a victim, according to prosecutors.
She said she didn’t wish Rodriguez harm but asked that he never again take a woman’s rejection as a joke, according to prosecutors.
The crime happened on CSUMB property, but Marina police investigated the assault because it fell under the city’s jurisdiction, according to prosecutors.
Rodriquez fled the campus the day after the assault, but was found in Chico and arrested on July 6, 2016, with the help of U.S. Marshals.
The CSUMB Title IX office, which is responsible for investigating all gender discrimination claims, found that Rodriguez was responsible for sexual misconduct, sexual harassment and stalking violations.
Judge Julie Culver praised the victim for her “remarkable strength,” according to prosecutors, and sentenced Rodriquez to the prison sentence, issued a ten-year restraining order and ordered lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Last modified August 22, 2018 3:45 am
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