A city man was arrested Thursday for forcibly raping an 18-year-old woman about 11 p.m. on July 30 at a Main Street apartment, according to city police and court documents.
Richard A. Townsend, Jr., 21, of 587 State Route 34 Locke, Cayuga County, was arrested at 4:40 a.m. after giving police a statement at the City Police Station at 25 Court St., according to court documents.
Townsend is charged with forcibly engaging in anal sex with the woman without her consent, according to the felony complaint. The attack occurred at a mutual friend’s apartment, according to police statements.
In his sworn statement to police, Townsend said he had anal sex with the woman without her consent.
“[She] never did or said anything about not wanting me to do that to her,” Townsend said. “She also never did or said anything that led me to believe she wanted that.”
Townsend grabbed the woman by the waist, removed her pants and raped her while she told him to stop several times, according to the woman’s sworn statement to city police.
“I was able to elbow Richard in the chest,” the woman stated, adding that allowed her to escape the apartment.
“I am terrified of Richard for what he did to me,” she told police, “and I fear that if I didn’t report this incident, that he may do it again to someone else.”
Townsend was arraigned in City Court on the charge of first-degree criminal sex act, a B felony, and released on his own recognizence. He is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. Aug. 14 in City Court.
Under New York state law, rape refers to nonconsensual vaginal intercourse while criminal sex act refers to nonconsensual oral or anal sex.
The Center for Disease Control defines sexual violence as “sexual activity when consent is not obtained or not given freely.” Sexual violence is considered a “serious public health problem” in the U. S. and is an issue affecting about 25 percent of the population, according to the CDC website.
“1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes,” the federal agency notes. “Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 38 men have experienced completed or attempted rape and 1 in 14 men was made to penetrate someone (completed or attempted) during his lifetime.”
