Bloomington resident Alexandre Buitendorp was arrested Tuesday on rape charges stemming from an alleged assault that occurred in March.
The investigation began March 26 when detectives responded to a Bloomington Hospital report of a sexual assault that occurred the previous night, Bloomington Police Department Lt. John Kovach said.
A 22-year-old woman told police she had been out with friends at a local bar and spoke with an individual later identified as Buitendorp, who Kovach said is not her friend but may be associated with her friends.
She said at some point she blacked out, and the next thing she remembered was waking up in a vehicle with her pants pulled down and the alleged attacker assaulting her with his hand.
The next thing the woman told police she remembered was waking up in her own residence without Buitendorp present and having no recollection of the previous night’s events, apart from what she had already told detectives. Kovach said police located Buitendorp and interviewed him. At the time, he denied the allegations.
Lab results from the rape kit detected the presence of GHB, a date rape drug, in the woman’s system, in addition to semen in her genital area. The results did not come back until recently. Buitendorp was questioned again and presented with the new findings Tuesday.
He denied giving her the drug or having intercourse with the woman but said he remembers kissing her in the vehicle, Kovach said. Buitendorp told police that the interaction was consensual, but police determined the drugs detected in the woman’s system combined with alcohol disputed this and was probable cause to arrest him.
Buitendorp will face a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon.
Jesse Naranjo
