Wash. Police Investigating Possible Sex Assault Scheme After Mass Overdose

Published January 13, 2015

Washington police are investigating a possible sexual assault scheme after a dozen young people were taken to hospitals after overdosing on an unknown substance at a house party.

All but one had been released by late Saturday afternoon, and that person was in good condition at a hospital in Ellensburg, according to police and a nursing supervisor.

The investigation started late Friday when officers and Kittitas County sheriff's deputies received a report of a possible overdose victim at a nearby grocery store. Acting on information from the victim's friends, police went to the house party and found 11 more young people either passed out or semi-conscious.

Police also say they also interrupted a possible sexual assault in progress, according to Q13Fox.com. That suspect had been released by Saturday morning.

Police believe something may have been slipped into their drinks, and they expect toxicology tests on blood and urine samples taken from the victims to help determine what that might have been.

"We don't believe this was just a result of heavy drinking," Cle Elum Police Chief Scott Ferguson said.

Some students who attended the party told KOMO-TV of Seattle on Saturday that they believe a bottle of vodka had been spiked with the date-rape drug Rohypnol, commonly known as "roofies."

"When I got there people started falling like flies," said Chris Unger, a freshman. "I carried about four people downstairs. ... Even if you're a lightweight, you don't just black out like that. We knew it was roofies."

Another freshman, Katelynn Allen, called it scary.

"Everything was going fine, the music was playing, people were having fun -- and then all of a sudden all the girls were puking everywhere," she told the station. "Girls were outside on their backs."

The students said several people at the party used vodka from the bottle to make mixed drinks. Those who brought their own alcohol, drank beer or didn't drink any alcohol were not affected, the students said.

Cle Elum Sgt. Monty Moore said investigators wouldn't know for sure until toxicology results come back.

"Right now we have no way of knowing for sure what drug was ingested by these folks," he said.

The party coincided with Roslyn Crawl, an event featuring 20 bands at three venues. Roslyn, a former mining town with a population of about 1,000, is where the television sitcom "Northern Exposure" was filmed.

Many of the 50 or so people present were underage students at Central Washington University, and Ferguson said college police, Cle Elum police and sheriff's deputies were continuing the investigation.

Click here for more on this story from Q13Fox.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/wash-police-investigating-possible-sex-assault-scheme-after-mass-overdose