2008 Woodie Awards
Drunken Dobson intruder charged
Nathan Becker and Jessie Gasch
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: News
Couch climbed several flights of stairs and entered a room. According to the probable cause statement filed by O'Haver, he got into bed with one of the sleeping students, who he did not know, and attempted to sexually assault her.
It is unclear whether the room was a random choice or a predetermined destination, although Mounsey and Chrissotimos said Couch, who was heavily intoxicated, might not have realized he was in Dobson Hall and might have been seeking a similar-numbered room in a different residence hall. Mounsey said the night monitor reported that Couch mentioned a room number during their short interaction but that it isn't clear whether he arrived at the same room he mentioned.
Adair County prosecutor Mark Williams, who filed the felony charges against Couch, said the student was able to get away from Couch.
"She was able to [get] him off the bed, and he landed on the floor," Williams said.
According to the probable cause statement, the two residents exited the room to get help. At 4:17 a.m., their student adviser placed another 911 call, and DPS, already near the building, responded immediately.
"By that point, [Couch] had passed out on the floor," Mounsey said.
In the probable cause statement, O'Haver wrote, "I began speaking to the male, but he did not respond. I applied pressure to the male's right hand pointer fingernail in an attempt to wake him up. The male opened his eyes. I informed him that I was a police officer and that I needed to speak with him. The male told me to stop lying to him."
Couch was taken quietly from the building by DPS so as not to cause a commotion, Chrissotimos said. He was placed in protective custody, then a 24-hour investigative hold while charges were pending. His arrest warrant was served the following afternoon, and he remains in the Adair County Detention Center.
"I can't just sit back quietly"
The resident whose bed Couch climbed into said all the members of the Truman community connected with the incident did their best but that the incident does signify a campus problem nonetheless. It is Index policy not to release the names of victims associated with sex-related crimes.
It is unclear whether the room was a random choice or a predetermined destination, although Mounsey and Chrissotimos said Couch, who was heavily intoxicated, might not have realized he was in Dobson Hall and might have been seeking a similar-numbered room in a different residence hall. Mounsey said the night monitor reported that Couch mentioned a room number during their short interaction but that it isn't clear whether he arrived at the same room he mentioned.
Adair County prosecutor Mark Williams, who filed the felony charges against Couch, said the student was able to get away from Couch.
"She was able to [get] him off the bed, and he landed on the floor," Williams said.
According to the probable cause statement, the two residents exited the room to get help. At 4:17 a.m., their student adviser placed another 911 call, and DPS, already near the building, responded immediately.
"By that point, [Couch] had passed out on the floor," Mounsey said.
In the probable cause statement, O'Haver wrote, "I began speaking to the male, but he did not respond. I applied pressure to the male's right hand pointer fingernail in an attempt to wake him up. The male opened his eyes. I informed him that I was a police officer and that I needed to speak with him. The male told me to stop lying to him."
Couch was taken quietly from the building by DPS so as not to cause a commotion, Chrissotimos said. He was placed in protective custody, then a 24-hour investigative hold while charges were pending. His arrest warrant was served the following afternoon, and he remains in the Adair County Detention Center.
"I can't just sit back quietly"
The resident whose bed Couch climbed into said all the members of the Truman community connected with the incident did their best but that the incident does signify a campus problem nonetheless. It is Index policy not to release the names of victims associated with sex-related crimes.
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