A Missouri State University student was allegedly raped by another student in her dorm room hours after attending a #MeToo rally to support victims of sexual assault and harassment.
The woman said she met 22-year-old Zachary Alperin on Saturday after attending a rally in Park Central Square, officials told to NBC News.
She and Alperin spent the night drinking at different bars in Springfield before going back to her dorm on campus.
The woman, also 22, said she allowed Alperin to spend the night, but told him not to touch her because she was intoxicated, according to officials. She said when she woke up in the middle of the night, Alperin was naked and performing sex acts on her.
She told police that she immediately pushed him away.
Alperin was arrested and charged Wednesday with second-degree rape and sodomy.
"I guess I tried to force myself on her, and I feel like such a terrible person for it," he allegedly told police, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
Alperin, also a student at MSU, is being held at the Green County Jail on $20,000 bond.
If convicted, he faces seven years in prison.
The organizers of the #MeToo Springfield rally said they were "devastated" by what happened and praised the woman for going to the police.
"The thought that someone would leave our rally feeling so encouraged, just to be raped a few hours later ... it is almost too much," organizers said in a Facebook post. "If the woman who attended our rally ... sees this, please know this: we are so proud of you for your bravery in coming forward. We are so sorry. We believe you. This was not your fault in any way. We are here for you."
