Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A 17-year-old is being charged as an adult after allegedly raping someone at a party.
Kevin Gonzalez, 17, of 309 N. East St., Milford, is charged with rape, a level 3 felony. He was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail at 12:43 p.m. Tuesday on a $20,250 preliminary bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at about 2:12 p.m. Dec. 28, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived at a hospital in reference to a sexual assault report. The deputy met with a man who said the victim was visibly upset on Dec. 28 when they came home early. The victim told the man they had drank alcohol and went to sleep. When they woke, Gonzalez was on top of them.
On Jan. 21, the victim was forensically interviewed at Safe Harbor Advocacy Center. The victim said they went to a house party with a friend. There were about 20 juveniles at the residence. The victim said they and their friend were drinking alcohol and their friend was intoxicated and left. The victim remained at the party.
The victim said Gonzalez was at the party and had been “acting weird” throughout the night, according to court documents. The victim said Gonzalez continually handed them alcohol and attempted to hand them marijuana. Gonzalez put his hands around the victim’s back and waist. The victim said they blacked out at some point and didn’t remember anything until they woke up in the bed upstairs.
The victim said they remembered later they woke up in the shower downstairs, undressed, with the water running. They said they saw Gonzalez in the doorway.
Later, the victim said they woke up in a bed upstairs and they found Gonzalez on top of them. They pushed Gonzalez’s hands off them and said either no or stop. The victim pulled their pants up, crawled over Gonzalez and walked downstairs.
A deputy talked to a minor who said Gonzalez drank some but was not acting drunk at the party. He was being friendly with others when he was normally quiet. The minor said Gonzalez seemed to be pushing drinks toward others. The minor said they were taking care of the victim but got tired of it, so with Gonzalez’s help, they laid the victim down. The minor said, at some point, Gonzalez was talking to the victim and advised them to take a shower to help sober up. Gonzalez then led the victim to the bathroom and helped them undress and get into the shower. Before the minor left the residence, the victim and Gonzalez were cuddling.
The deputy interviewed a second minor who said they saw the victim and Gonzalez enter the bathroom together and the first minor followed. The second minor said they saw Gonzalez and the victim lying on the floor next to each other.
The deputy talked to Gonzalez. He said he had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana when the victim arrived at the party. Gonzalez said the victim started flirting with him and Gonzalez started flirting back. He said they hugged a couple times. Gonzalez denied having sex with the victim.
