It sounded like a typical night on many college campuses. A party at a fraternity house, alcohol, crashing at one person’s apartment.
But hours later, one Kennesaw State University student awoke to her party date sexually assaulting her, according to campus police. The woman said no, but the man continued. The next morning, he allegedly denied what he had done in a text message before then apologizing.
The woman reported the May 1, 2015, incident to police. She was given a sexual assault exam and DNA samples were collected. The “rape kit” was sent to the GBI, which determined the DNA matched that of the same man she accused of the assault, according to University police.
An arrest warrant was issued last Thursday for Anthony Lewis Cochenour, charging him with rape.
“If you had said no I would have stopped,” Cochenour texted the woman, his warrant says. “Even blackout me isn’t a rapist.”
Then, Cochenour texted her that the two did have sex because the condom from his wallet was missing, the warrant says. He also allegedly texted her that there was only a slight chance she could have gotten pregnant.
“I’m sorry that it happened,” he texted. “I really am. Especially since I know now that you didn’t want to.”
In an interview with a campus police officer, Cochenour allegedly said nothing had happened. He said the woman asked him to spend the night with her at her KSU Place apartment after the two attended a party at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house. But when he was shown the text messages, Cochenour admitted he had sent them, his warrant states.
Cochenour surrendered and was booked into the Cobb jail Thursday night. He was released Friday afternoon after posting $50,000 bond, booking records showed. Although he was a KSU student at the time of the alleged assault, he was not listed as a student Monday in the university’s online directory.
Cochenour’s arrest was the third in the last month involving rapes of KSU students, both on and off campus.
In May, two men accused of sexually assaulting a KSU student at a home near campus were charged in the case, according to Cobb County police. One of the men, also a KSU student, is accused in a separate assault in March, records showed.
Romelo Alfred Lewis, 21, was charged with one count each of rape and aggravated sodomy, and Tyree Robert Mew, 23, was charged with two counts of rape and two counts of aggravated sodomy. Both Lewis and Mew were being held without bond Monday at the Cobb jail, booking records showed.
In August, two sexual assaults were reported during the first week of classes at Kennesaw State.
A University spokeswoman referred to Cobb County police for a comment on the case, though that agency was not involved.
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