A sexual assault cloud is once again hanging over the Utah State football program.
According to multiple media outlets in the area, cornerback Lamar Dawson has been charged with rape in connection to an incident that occurred around Valentine’s Day earlier this year. The charge is a first-degree felony and involves Dawson allegedly having sexual intercourse with a woman too intoxicated to give consent.
From KSL.com:On Feb. 14, Dawson exchanged several text messages with a woman who stated multiple times that she was very drunk, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in 1st District Court. Dawson then asks the woman if he can come over to her residence, the charges state. The woman eventually agreed but told Dawson, “don’t expect sex because I’m not in the right mindset to make that decision,” the charges state.
Dawson, however, later told police that he did have sex with the woman that night, even though he told her the next morning that they did not, according to the charges.
“When asked why he lied to (her) about having sex, he stated he was afraid she was trying to ‘pin’ something on him,” the charges state. “Mr. Dawson denied that (she) was so drunk that she didn’t know what she was doing.”
Investigators noted that when the woman was examined at a local hospital 10 hours after the alleged assault, the woman still had a blood-alcohol content of .04 percent, according to charging documents.
Dawson has yet to be arrested by Logan police as the department believes the Illinois native is in the process of heading back to Chicago. As police searched for Dawson in late March, they learned through the USU athletic department that the cornerback had been suspended by the football program. No reason for the suspension was given, and it’s unclear if it’s related to the alleged rape.
Dawson joined the Aggies in June of last year, but took a redshirt for the 2018 season. He is no longer listed on USU’s online roster.
