The woman who the Pima County sheriff 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 in a bedroom, with several injuries, 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 the woman.
Jessie Lyle Bootman, dean of the College of Pharmacy since 1987, is charged with sexual assault, sexual abuse and aggravated assault, a charge laid when a victim suffers “temporary but substantial” disfigurement or impairment.
His attorney, Brad Roach, said Thursday afternoon that the criminal case against the 65-year-old Bootman “will result in either a dismissal or an acquittal by jury. Dr. Bootman will never be convicted of a crime, because he did not commit a crime.”
Roach, at a brief news conference, criticized Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos for statements he made to the media on Wednesday about the case.
“The newly appointed sheriff has stepped well beyond the false allegations made by the alleged victim by making public statements that are patently false and terribly misleading,” Roach said. “We could not let these wild accusations stand.”
In a telephone interview after Roach’s comments, Nanos said: “I stand by what I say. This woman was brutally assaulted, brutally attacked and it will come out in a court of law.”
“What I say are not false statements,” said Nanos, adding that Roach began “throwing mud on the victim” after Bootman’s court hearing. “Mr. Roach and his client should be ashamed of themselves.”
“I am incensed that an attorney would even try an attempt to control the media attention on this (case),” said Nanos, explaining that he spoke to media after he was approached to respond to Roach’s comments Wednesday.
According to a search warrant document filed by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, the woman went to Tucson Medical Center, where it was determined she had a broken nose and injuries to her lip and knee as well as serious bruising.
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 that 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, since she worked in real estate. They arrived at his house and Bootman gave her another drink, the woman told detectives. After she toured the property, 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 mid-40s, told detectives that she had no prior sexual relationship with Bootman and did not consent to any sexual activity that night.
The court documents say detectives seized blankets and other bed linens, including a pillow and a pillowcase with bloodstains on them, from Bootman’s house. Bootman was also required to give a DNA sample.
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.
On Wednesday, Nanos said the victim is recovering from her injuries.
Nanos said the victim had a business relationship with Bootman. He would not elaborate on what type of business, or if it is associated with the University of Arizona. The two “had not seen each other for close to a year,” Nanos said.
In his news conference Thursday, Roach said the woman hired two personal injury attorneys within days of the complaint, “which reflects her financial motivations.”
He also said she has a “significant criminal history” and a history of financial problems. “We expect to provide these facts to the jury who will undoubtedly see just how false these accusations are,” Roach said.
Roach’s claim that the victim has a long criminal history is not reflected in online court records in Arizona. A search by the Star showed the woman has a 2013 conviction for disorderly conduct and a handful of traffic violations since 1995.
Nanos said it is “outrageous” for Roach to say the victim has a criminal history and that she filed the report about the sexual assault for financial gain. “These are pretty sleazy tactics. I can’t believe Mr. Roach would stoop so low,” said Nanos.
If Bootman is convicted, he faces the loss of the pharmacist license he has held for more than 40 years.
The Arizona State Board of Pharmacy is “not likely” to license someone found guilty of sexual assault, said Kam Gandhi, the board’s executive director.
“Historically we have not approved licenses that have this kind of felony,” Gandhi said in a phone interview Thursday.
Board officials are monitoring the situation and may discuss it at the board’s next meeting Nov. 18, he said.
