Morgan Hill
– A San Jose woman was raped at a New Year’s Eve party at a
Morgan Hill apartment, police said.
Francisco Gomez, Jr., 23, of Morgan Hill, was arrested on
suspicion of rape of an intoxicated person and booked into Santa
Clara County Jail early New Year’s Day, according to Morgan Hill
police Cmdr. David Swing.
Morgan Hill – A San Jose woman was raped at a New Year’s Eve party at a Morgan Hill apartment, police said.
Francisco Gomez, Jr., 23, of Morgan Hill, was arrested on suspicion of rape of an intoxicated person and booked into Santa Clara County Jail early New Year’s Day, according to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing.
Gomez “did not admit or deny the allegation” to officers when he was arrested, Swing said.
The 20-year-old victim knew Gomez, Swing said. She was sleeping at an apartment in the Terracina Apartments, 230 East Dunne Ave., after attending a party there. She woke up to find Gomez on top of her, having sexual intercourse with her, she reported. She tried to push him off, Swing added, but Gomez forced her to stay down, pinning down her arms with his hands.
When he stopped, the victim told police, he got up but did not restrain her; she left and called a friend who took her to Kaiser Santa Teresa hospital for examination.
Though the victim said she knew Gomez, they were not involved in a dating or romantic relationship, she told police.
Swing said Gomez did not have any weapons in his possession. The victim had bruises on her arms, but no other injuries, according to the report.
The woman reported that she had gone to bed about 4:30am, and woke up shortly afterward. Kaiser staff called MHPD at 6am to report the incident, and an MHPD officer responded to the hospital to talk to the victim, who was later moved to Valley Medical Center for examination.
Officers responded to the apartment. There were about eight people in the apartment, according to the report, and officers had to wake people up to talk to them.
Gomez was arrested at the apartment.
Swing said while it was clear people were drinking during the party, the level of intoxication won’t be known until toxicology test results are returned.
Swing said the victim was referred to Community Solutions, a social services agency.
Amy Molica, assistant program director for Community Solution’s “Solution to Violence” program, said the agency takes more than 500 crisis calls per year; in 85 percent of rape cases, the victim knows the perpetrator, according to statistics.
“For obvious reasons, that makes reporting the crime more difficult for the victim,” she said.
All advocacy and counseling services are free of charge, Molica said. Contact the 24-hour, confidential and bilingual crisis line at 408-779-2115. Anyone interested in becoming an advocate can contact Molica by calling the crisis line.
