Two former WOU students convicted of rape, sex abuse
Two men have been found guilty of raping and sexually abusing a woman while they were students at Western Oregon University in 2014.
Robert Godeaux Savoy III, 23, was convicted of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree sexual abuse.
Christopher James Weekly, 23, was convicted of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree sexual abuse and third-degree sexual abuse.
They were convicted of the crimes Feb. 4 after a two-day trial before Judge Norman Hill in Polk County Circuit Court.
The incident occurred in 2014 when both defendants were students at the public institution.
Savoy started attending classes at Western in 2012. According to the university registrar’s office, he is not currently enrolled as a student and did not graduate. Weekly attended from March 2014 to June 2014. He did not earn a degree with the university.
Savoy was listed as a wide receiver for Western’s football team, according to the 2013 roster. Savoy was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, according to school records. Weekly was born in San Francisco.
The university, home to about 6,100 students, reported five on-campus rapes and one rape that took place in a residence, from July 2014 to June 2015. Seven cases of fondling, eight cases of domestic violence, two incidents of dating violence and two cases of stalking were also reported.
MaryEllen DelloStritto, director of the university’s sexual assault response center, said there are a handful of programs on campus that seek to prevent intimate, partner- and power-based violence, as well as resources to respond when these incidents occur.
For instance, the school has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for almost six years called Campus Against Sexual Assault. The program helps to coordinate community response to intimate, partner violence, she said.
Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton said his office “take(s) instances of campus rape and assault seriously and we prosecute them.”
First-degree rape and first-degree sodomy are Measure 11 offenses that carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence of eight years and four months.
Both men were charged with additional counts that resulted in acquittals. Savoy was acquitted of first-degree sodomy and one count each of first-, second- and third-degree sexual abuse.
Weekly was acquitted of first-degree rape and one count each of first-, second- and third-degree sexual abuse.
Savoy and Weekly were released on bail in April 2015. Both waived their rights to a trial by jury. The defendants are being held in the Polk County jail.
Sentencing is scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 11 in Polk County Circuit Court.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Email khessel@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6743 or follow on Twitter @KaellenHessel
Natalie Pate 