Former USU football player charged with rape

Lamar Anthony Dawson, 23, was charged Tuesday in 1st District Court with one count of first-degree felony rape.

A warrant for Dawson’s arrest states he returned a speaker to a woman’s house on Feb. 14 while she was “noticeably intoxicated.”

After Dawson left, the two continued to text and the woman told him how intoxicate she was, the warrant states. Dawson allegedly complemented the woman’s looks and she told him to “shut up,” and that he was only interested in talking to her so the two could have sex on Valentine’s Day. Dawson asked if the woman wanted him to come over, the warrant states.

The text messages continue with the woman asking Dawson why he would want to come over and what the two would do while she was so intoxicated, the warrant states. The warrant also states she told Dawson “I feel like that would not be fun for you…because I’m so drunk.”

According to the warrant, after a series of texts, the woman invited Dawson over, but specifically said “..But don’t expect sex because I’m not in the right mindset to make that decision.” Dawson replied “I’m not ‘bout to do that, you drunk.” The woman then tells him, “OK, if you just wanna chill, come over. But if you expect more, then no.”

Dawson came to the woman’s house shortly after, and the two cuddled won a bed next to the woman’s roommate. The roommate reportedly left the room and observed the woman as very drowsy and almost asleep.

According to the warrant, the woman recently started a new medication which acts as an additive to alcohol, making alcohol’s impact significantly stronger.

The morning after the alleged rape, the woman texted Dawson to ask if the two had sex, to which he denied. Dawson reportedly told the woman the two kissed, then “chilled and went to sleep.”

Investigators located semen on the woman’s bed sheets and a bag of paper towels.

When detectives spoke with Dawson, he told them he did have sex with the woman on Feb. 14.

When asked why he lied to her, he reportedly told detectives he was worried she was trying to “pin” something on him.

Dawson also reportedly denied initiating any sexual contact and stated the woman was “aggressive” with him.

The woman completed a sexual assault examination about 10 hours after the incident.

As of Tuesday evening, investigators were unable to locate Dawson and believe he may have fled home to the Chicago area.