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Witnesses To Alleged De Anza Rape Speak Out
POSTED: 10:10 pm PDT May 22, 2007
UPDATED: 8:43 pm PDT May 24, 2007
SAN JOSE -- Two young women who say they intervened during a savage assault at a college party are speaking out in an exclusive television interview. The women say they witnessed a rape last March that involved members of the De Anza College baseball team, and they are now outraged that the Santa Clara County District Attorney has chosen not to prosecute the case.
The DA says there is insufficient evidence to bring charges against the eight members of the De Anza baseball team, but Tuesday night KTVU Channel 2 spoke with the two young women who say they were at the party and rescued from a sexual assault a 17-year old girl they had not known until that night. Their story is graphic.
Lauren Chief Elk and April Grolle are 20-year old De Anza College students and teammates on the school's soccer squad. They were leaving a party at a house when they realized something wrong was going on in a back room where the doors were closed and the lights were off.
"We heard and saw a girl tapping on this door in the kitchen saying 'There is a girl in there with eight guys," explains Chief Elk.
They say they tried to get into the room, but were confronted by a baseball player.
"[He said] 'Mind your own business; she wants to be in here' and slams the door," says Grolle.
What they saw through a crack in the door horrified them.
"When I looked in, I saw about ten pairs of legs surrounding a girl, lying on the mattress on the floor and a guy on top of her with his pants down and his hips thrusting on top of her," recall Chief Elk. "And when I saw that I knew immediately something wasn't right. It just didn't look right."
"I saw that this young girl did not want to be in there, and that's when we just went 'We're getting this girl out of there,'" says Grolle.
April and Lauren -- along with a third soccer player named Lauren Breayans -- broke down the door and were shocked with what they found.
"This poor girl was not moving. She had vomit dribbling down her face. We had to scoop vomit out of her mouth [and] lift her up. Her pants were completely off her body," says Chief Elk. "She had her one shoe one, her jeans were wrapped around one of her ankles and her underwear was left around her ankles. To the left of the bed there was some condom thrown on the ground."
"When they lifted her head up, her eyes moved and she said 'I'm sorry,'" says Grolle. "One of the guys who was in the room said 'This is her fault. She got drunk and she did this to herself.'"
Lauren Chief Elk didn't believe him: "You have to be conscious to consent to something, and that was not the case at all."
The three girls were the only ones at the party to take the alleged victim to the hospital and have spent the last ten weeks telling their story to authorities. They were shocked when the district attorney said there would be no charges. That is why they are telling their disturbing story.
"What we saw was rape. It was a crime," says Grolle. "It was assault against a 17 year girl. I will forever know in my heart that is what happened."
"It makes us think that no girl is ever going to want to come forward and say they were violated as this girl was, because they're going to think it doesn't even matter," says Chief Elk. "But it does."
The 17-year-old girl Monday gave Grolle and Chief Elk Saint Christopher Medals, which they were wearing Tuesday night.
"We were basically her protectors that night and she gave these to us to represent that -- although there is no way to compare what happened that night -- she is grateful that we are her voice and speaking for her about what we saw that night," says Chief Elk.
The District Attorney's office Tuesday said it is standing by its decision, while the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department has stated it is not closing the case.
Witnesses To Alleged De Anza Rape Speak Out
POSTED: 10:10 pm PDT May 22, 2007
UPDATED: 8:43 pm PDT May 24, 2007
SAN JOSE -- Two young women who say they intervened during a savage assault at a college party are speaking out in an exclusive television interview. The women say they witnessed a rape last March that involved members of the De Anza College baseball team, and they are now outraged that the Santa Clara County District Attorney has chosen not to prosecute the case.
The DA says there is insufficient evidence to bring charges against the eight members of the De Anza baseball team, but Tuesday night KTVU Channel 2 spoke with the two young women who say they were at the party and rescued from a sexual assault a 17-year old girl they had not known until that night. Their story is graphic.
Lauren Chief Elk and April Grolle are 20-year old De Anza College students and teammates on the school's soccer squad. They were leaving a party at a house when they realized something wrong was going on in a back room where the doors were closed and the lights were off.
"We heard and saw a girl tapping on this door in the kitchen saying 'There is a girl in there with eight guys," explains Chief Elk.
They say they tried to get into the room, but were confronted by a baseball player.
"[He said] 'Mind your own business; she wants to be in here' and slams the door," says Grolle.
What they saw through a crack in the door horrified them.
"When I looked in, I saw about ten pairs of legs surrounding a girl, lying on the mattress on the floor and a guy on top of her with his pants down and his hips thrusting on top of her," recall Chief Elk. "And when I saw that I knew immediately something wasn't right. It just didn't look right."
"I saw that this young girl did not want to be in there, and that's when we just went 'We're getting this girl out of there,'" says Grolle.
April and Lauren -- along with a third soccer player named Lauren Breayans -- broke down the door and were shocked with what they found.
"This poor girl was not moving. She had vomit dribbling down her face. We had to scoop vomit out of her mouth [and] lift her up. Her pants were completely off her body," says Chief Elk. "She had her one shoe one, her jeans were wrapped around one of her ankles and her underwear was left around her ankles. To the left of the bed there was some condom thrown on the ground."
"When they lifted her head up, her eyes moved and she said 'I'm sorry,'" says Grolle. "One of the guys who was in the room said 'This is her fault. She got drunk and she did this to herself.'"
Lauren Chief Elk didn't believe him: "You have to be conscious to consent to something, and that was not the case at all."
The three girls were the only ones at the party to take the alleged victim to the hospital and have spent the last ten weeks telling their story to authorities. They were shocked when the district attorney said there would be no charges. That is why they are telling their disturbing story.
"What we saw was rape. It was a crime," says Grolle. "It was assault against a 17 year girl. I will forever know in my heart that is what happened."
"It makes us think that no girl is ever going to want to come forward and say they were violated as this girl was, because they're going to think it doesn't even matter," says Chief Elk. "But it does."
The 17-year-old girl Monday gave Grolle and Chief Elk Saint Christopher Medals, which they were wearing Tuesday night.
"We were basically her protectors that night and she gave these to us to represent that -- although there is no way to compare what happened that night -- she is grateful that we are her voice and speaking for her about what we saw that night," says Chief Elk.
The District Attorney's office Tuesday said it is standing by its decision, while the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department has stated it is not closing the case.
