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Last updated on Friday, March 3, 2017
(BLOOMFIELD) - A Greene County jury found 25-year-old Justin Koontz not guilty of rape.
The jury heard testimony for three days before deliberating for just an hour Thursday afternoon and coming back with a not guilty verdict.
Koontz was arrested after police allege he drugged the woman with a "date rape drug," then repeatedly sexually assaulted her in a home in the 1000 block of South Lewis Street in Bloomfield on October 19, 2014. The woman, who was a friend of Koontz's wife, was visiting the home when the incident happened.
Koontz was charged with two felony counts of rape - when the victim was unaware of the defendant's actions, with an enhancing circumstance, a Level 1 Felony; and rape when the victim was unaware of the defendant's actions, a Level 3 Felony.
The woman, who did not usually drink, accepted a drink of cookie dough-flavored vodka from Koontz. After drinking the alcoholic beverage the woman began to feel "weird" and started to fall asleep. She told police she could only remember "bits and pieces." But she did remember waking up multiple times to having intercourse and oral sex. The woman told police she attempted to stop Koontz, but she says it was like she couldn't move or even say anything. At one point she woke up and was choking, and Koontz's pelvic area was in her face.
The victim told police she felt helpless.
The woman did have a sexual assault evaluation done at IU Health Bloomington Hospital. The woman had suffered vaginal tearing caused by sexual activity and numerous bruises on her arms.
The victim's urine test results showed there was Gamma-HydroxyButric Acid (GHB), a known "date rape drug" in her system at the time of her exam.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Keven McIntosh told the jury Koontz gave inconsistent statements during the investigation and that he had failed a polygraph test.
But Public Defender Ellen Martin showed that the victim had inconsistent statements and there was missing evidence from the investigation, including photographs from the scene and not properly testing items taken from the property for the victim's and Koontz's DNA. She also questioned why it took the prosecutor's office more than a year to press charges against Koontz. And that during his polygraph, Koontz was never asked if he raped the woman.
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