A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault after allegedly raping a woman in Durango.
Durango Police Department Cmdr. Rita Warfield said Jordan Tyler Benjamin was arrested Aug. 12 on unrelated charges of suspected criminal impersonation and an alleged disturbance when deputies at the La Plata County Jail found a stolen cellphone.
The stolen cellphone led authorities to the boyfriend of the victim who said he witnessed his girlfriend being sexually assaulted around 9:30 p.m. Aug. 10 in the alley behind Homeslice Pizza on College Drive, between East Fourth and East Fifth avenues.
Authorities interviewed the woman who said she met Benjamin for the first time that night and the two went to Homeslice for a couple of drinks. After a few drinks, she said things became fuzzy.
Warfield said the woman believes she was possibly given a date-rape drug. The woman was administered a sex assault examination at a hospital but the police department has not yet received the results, Warfield said.
The woman regained consciousness during the assault, about the same time her boyfriend arrived at the scene. The boyfriend confronted Benjamin, who ultimately left the scene, Warfield said. Benjamin reportedly stole the woman’s purse and cellphone.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin on Sept. 23 and he was arrested Nov. 14.
Warfield was unsure why such a long period elapsed between the incident and the arrest, but she said it is not uncommon in sexual assault cases “due to the trauma of an assault.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com
