Man accused of attempted rape near campus

A man was arrested Saturday morning because he was accused of attempted rape at an apartment near the IU campus.

DaWoyne Smith, 28, of Cheyenne, Wyo., was arrested on preliminary charges of attempted rape, a B felony; burglary, a B felony; and sexual battery, a D felony.

Police arrived at about 4 a.m. at 602 N. Morton St. after an 18-year-old woman said she woke up with a man she didn’t know on top of her, said Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Joe Crider. She told police he didn’t have a shirt on.

She fought him off by pushing, kicking, scratching at his neck and face and screaming. Friends heard the screaming, went to help and observed Smith running from the apartment, Crider said.

As police gathered information from witnesses, a witness outside the apartment saw Smith through a third-floor hallway window, Crider said. Police went back and saw a male with no shirt.

He was identified by the victim and taken to jail. The woman went to the IU Health University Hospital for a rape kit.

Smith denies any type of sexual activity took place.

It’s unclear if the victim is a student, though the apartments at that address are marketed to students. Smith isn’t listed in IU’s online student directory.

Crider said he didn’t know why Smith chose the woman’s apartment. Through interviews, police said they believe he originally entered the apartment building by invitation from tenants he’d befriended earlier, Crider said.

He was thrown out of that apartment when he took his pants off, displayed his penis and pushed a 20-year-old female onto a bed, Crider said.

Smith told police he’d returned to the area believing he’d left items at the apartment.