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A Canadian student-athlete at the University of Utah has allegedly fled the country after learning a warrant for his arrest was issued on Monday.
The incident, which occurred in August, allegedly happened in the victim’s dorm room after she and Smyth, 19, exchanged phone numbers in a school common area.
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Additionally, police reported that the victim told Smyth she “didn’t want to have sex” before he raped her in the dorm.
When police initially approached him regarding the allegation, Smyth denied knowing the victim but later told police he did know her and that they engaged in consensual sex, according to Utah news outletGephardt Daily.
A warrant for Smyth’s arrest was issued on Monday. When police returned to his residence to make an arrest, his roommate told authorities he had “cleaned out all his belongings and moved out,” ABC reported.
An additional tip that Smyth had fled the country and returned to his home in Canada came from a private investigator who told police the swimmer fled “after learning that he was being investigated.”
Smyth is being charged with forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony and one count of rape and forcible sodomy, both first-degree felonies, per ABC4 Utah.
“We take matters of this type very seriously, and have continued to monitor the situation,” the continued. “We will not have further comment as this matter proceeds through the legal process.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
