Man charged in 2013 rape of freshman at Western Michigan University
(CBS DETROIT) - A 29-year-old man has been charged in the rape of a freshman at Western Michigan University in 2013, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday.
Caleb James Watson, of Milford, was arraigned last week and charged with four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of assault with intent to commit penetration.
Watson was arrested by state police in Livingston County on April 25. He faces a sentence of up to life in prison if he is convicted.
He was given a $250,000 cash/surety bond. If he posts bond, he must wear a GPS tether and will be supervised by the Office of Community Corrections. His probable cause conference is scheduled for May 10.
According to the attorney general's office, the assault happened in the victim's dorm room. Watson was 20 years old at the time of the assault and was an acquaintance of the victim, who was 18 at the time. They knew each other because they lived in the same dorm.
Watson allegedly used force or coercion to scare the victim and "committed numerous forced penetrations of her body with his penis."
"The work of our department, in collaboration with the SAKI units in Kalamazoo and elsewhere, continues to show sexual assault survivors that justice is still a viable pursuit, even ten years on," said Nessel. "Our hope and goal is that this pursuit leads to aid the healing process for victims. Investigations, charges, convictions; these are important elements of a broader process of securing justice and helping victims to recover."
Ten years later, charges were brought due to an investigation by the Kalamazoo County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). SAKI is a partnership between the Michigan Attorney General's Office, the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's Office and the YWCA of Kalamazoo.
This SAKI team is working to investigate about 225 cold-case sexual assaults in the county and has obtained 14 convictions to date.