Air Force Academy freshman testifies about alleged rape

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- An Air Force Academy freshman testified Wednesday that she was raped by an older cadet after drinking shots of tequila with him in his dorm room last fall.

Near the end of the hearing -- the first concerning rape allegations since the Air Force Academy was plunged into a sex scandal -- Cadet Douglas Meester was allowed to make a statement, but was not sworn in.

"I am not a rapist," he said. "I am not a perfect cadet, perfect student or perfect person, but I am not a rapist."

The Pennsylvania woman said she drifted in and out of consciousness during the attack, acknowledging that she did not physically resist but saying she had not agreed to have sex.

"There was no way to fight him off. I did not feel like I was in control," she testified.

The hearing was similar to a preliminary hearing in civilian court.

Military officials have eight days to decide whether to pursue a court-martial against Meester. The sophomore is charged with rape, sodomy, indecent assault and providing alcohol.

The woman, who was 18 at the time of the alleged assault on Oct. 18, said she had been drinking before going to Meester's room. She said she drank at least six shots of tequila with Meester and two other cadets. After one cadet left and Meester's roommate went to sleep, Meester began kissing her and taking off her clothes, she testified. She said she awoke as he raped her.

"The situation scared me and I thought maybe he didn't know who I was because I didn't know who he was," she said.

In an earlier statement to Air Force officials, the woman had said she believed that Meester thought what they were doing was consensual. On the stand Wednesday, she said she was referring only to the kissing.

The cadet testified that she reported the attack the next day. Her civilian attorney, Steve Werner, had said earlier that she reported it immediately.

The woman was to be disciplined for fraternizing with older cadets and drinking, but left the academy before she was punished. She has applied for disenrollment.

Through a series of questions, defense counsel Capt. Kathleen Reder suggested the woman reported the attack because she was worried her boyfriend, also a cadet, would be angry with her for having sex and that her reputation would be tarnished.

Both cadets had blood-alcohol contents nearly double the level at which a motorist would be considered drunk, an investigator said.

Sophomore Jason Wager, who roomed with Meester, said he heard the woman say "no" at one point after he went to bed, but he did not know what it meant.

"If I thought there was a rape going on, I would have stopped it," Wager said.

Reder said in her closing statement she would ask for a change of venue if the case goes to court-martial. Meester faces life in prison if convicted.

In another case, Cadet Jason Lewis has been charged with sexual assault for allegedly forcing a female cadet to fondle him in his dorm room. Air Force officials held a hearing last week but have not announced whether Lewis will face a court-martial.

The academy outside Colorado Springs has been under scrutiny for months since dozens of female cadets said they were reprimanded or ostracized when they reported being raped. The school's top officers have been reassigned, and the Air Force and Defense Department are investigating.

In the past 10 years, two Air Force cadets have been charged with rape. One was acquitted; the other pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven months in jail. Administrative action was taken in other cases where there was not enough evidence to prosecute, officials say.

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