Woman told detectives she 'blacked out' at UA dean's house

The woman who the sheriff's department said was sexually assaulted by a UA dean told investigators she passed out at his house and didn't wake up until the next morning with several injuries in a bedroom, according to court documents.

A grand jury has indicted the University of Arizona’s dean of pharmacy on felony sexual assault charges after what the sheriff described as a “brutal” attack on a woman.

Jessie Lyle Bootman, dean of the College of Pharmacy since 1987, was arraigned Wednesday in Pima County Superior Court and pleaded not guilty. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 30.

Bootman, 65, is charged with sexual assault, sexual abuse and aggravated assault, a charge laid when a victim suffers “temporary but substantial” disfigurement or impairment. Through his attorney, Bootman has denied the allegations.

The woman went to Tucson Medical Center where it was determined she had suffered a broken nose, injuries to her lip and a knee as well as serious bruising, according to a search warrant document filed by the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

Detectives, in asking a judge for permission to search Bootman's residence, said they were searching for all evidence indicating a "sexual assault," including drugs commonly known as "date-rape drugs."

The victim told detectives on the night of Oct. 2 she was having drinks with a friend at a restaurant when Bootman, an acquaintance, joined her and bought her and her friend a drink.

The woman said Bootman asked if she wanted to see his house, given that she worked in real estate. They arrived at his house and Bootman gave her another drink, the woman told detectives. After getting a tour of the house, the woman said she was getting her purse to leave and that's when she "blacked out and does not remember anything until waking up at approximately 8 a.m. on Oct. 3," the document states.

The woman said she woke up naked in a bed with blood on her hand and face. When she went to the bathroom, she noticed that there was a cut on her nose. "The victim asked Mr. Bootman what he did and he stated, you must have scratched it," the records state.

The woman, who is in her 40s, told detectives that she had no prior sexual relationship with Bootman and did not consent to any sexual act that night.

The court documents do not state what items were recovered from Bootman's house.

The UA responded to the criminal charges Wednesday by putting Bootman on paid administrative leave from his $287,000-a-year dean’s job. Bootman, a 1974 graduate of the UA, has been on personal leave since Oct. 16.

The victim was “brutally assaulted,” said Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. She is recovering from her injuries, he said.

Nanos said the victim had a business relationship with Bootman. He would not elaborate on what type of business it is, or if it is associated with the University of Arizona.

The two “had not seen each other for close to a year,” Nanos said. He said the victim said that while she was at Bootman’s house “she lost consciousness through the night.”

Nanos said the woman reported the assault the following morning when “she woke up and immediately recognized she needed medical attention, and she got to a clinic, and then a hospital.” When the victim left the home, Bootman was at the house, Nanos said.

Detectives from the sex crimes unit served a search warrant at Bootman’s residence and found incriminating evidence, the department said.

Bootman’s attorney, Brad Roach of Tucson, said his client “absolutely denies any wrongdoing.”

The dean has a global reputation in the pharmacy field and “is shocked and saddened that anyone would make claims against him or his conduct,” Roach said in an email statement.

Roach said Bootman is “confident that he will be exonerated of any allegations of wrongdoing.”

Bootman is recently divorced from his wife of 30-plus years.

The sex charges are his second brush with the law since September 2011, when he was charged in Phoenix with aggressive driving, impaired driving and making an unsafe lane change. Bootman pleaded guilty to aggressive driving, and the other charges were dismissed, online court records show.

Deputy Ryan Inglett, a sheriff’s spokesman, said Bootman was not taken into custody or booked into jail on the sex charges.

After his court hearing Wednesday, Bootman was released on his own recognizance on condition he surrender his passport and that he not have contact with the victim, her family or anyone under 18. Bootman is also not allowed to administer drugs while his case is before the court, the conditions of release said.

Nanos said if there are other victims, they should come forward by calling 911 or by contacting the Sheriff’s Department at 351-4900 to file a report.