Fresno City College student body president charged with rape
The student body president of Fresno City College was arrested Tuesday and charged with two rape-related felonies and one misdemeanor, including allegations that he used a foreign object to penetrate one woman, according to police records.
Christopher Washington, president of Fresno City College Associated Student Government, was found with two female students in a women’s bathroom stall on campus Monday, according to college officials. All three students were reportedly intoxicated.
The Fresno City College Police Department arrested the 25-year-old around 11:50 a.m. Tuesday. The agency has not released additional information.
Washington faces two felony counts — rape and sexual penetration with a foreign object — and a misdemeanor charge for remaining on campus without consent, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident has shaken the college.
President Carole Goldsmith sent an email to students and faculty saying the investigation was ongoing and the college was committed to taking cases of sexual misconduct seriously.
“Colleges often end up as the sole adjudicators in cases like this due to the fact that many alleged victims do not want to go through the criminal justice systems as they believe it will only result in reliving the trauma,” Goldsmith said in the email.
In response to the incident, Goldsmith has formed a team to review the college’s safety protocols and procedures related to sexual misconduct.
Washington is being held in lieu of $126,000 bail.
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