A New York man has been arrested and accused of raping a Boulder woman in her apartment in May.
Sean Taylor, 21, is charged with sexual assault — no consent; sexual assault — victim incapable of appraising; and second-degree assault — strangulation.
Taylor is currently in custody on a $20,000 bond. He is next set to appear in court on Dec. 10 for his preliminary hearing.
According to an affidavit, on May 9, Taylor and a woman were drinking and hanging out in the hot tub of a Boulder apartment complex with other people.
The woman told police that the group were sipping beers when Taylor started “getting weird” and began pulling her onto his lap and touching her under her bathing suit multiple times.
The woman said around 11 p.m. or midnight she began feeling very intoxicated and was assisted to her apartment and into bed by someone else in the group.
She told police Taylor later coming into her room and sexually assaulted her.
The woman told Taylor multiple times to stop and said “that hurts.” She said Taylor then got angry and put his hand around her neck and pressed down, which restricted her breathing. The woman said she was terrified and began crying as she felt her throat closing. Taylor reportedly told the victim, “it’s our little secret.”
After the rape occurred, the victim went to the bathroom and texted a friend. The friend immediately came to the bathroom and later told police she found the woman naked and sobbing in the bathroom. The friend also recalled that when she arrived, she saw the victim’s bedroom door closed but when she left the bathroom it was open, leading her to believe Taylor was in the bedroom and then had left.
The woman was taken to the hospital by friends around the same time that Taylor texted her, “Hey I just wanna say that I feel really guilty about tonight. I didn’t want to do anything that you didn’t feel comfortable with, and I feel that’s what tonight became.”
He continued, “I apologize for the miscommunication that occurred tonight as I feel primarily responsible for the shenanigans that occurred. If you’re open to conversation about it I’m open to that’s OK. What’s most important to me is that you’re OK and that you understand that it wasn’t in my interest to hurt you.”
When contacted by police, Taylor told them that while in the hot tub the woman was flirting with him by sitting on his lap and placing her hand inside his shorts.
Taylor told police that the woman was “pretty drunk” and after she went to bed he followed her to say goodnight. Taylor said he knocked on her door and she told him to come in and then he asked her if she wanted him to leave and she said no.
Taylor told police that she kissed him and he received “expressed consent” by asking her is “is this okay?” and “do you want me to leave?” Taylor added that at one point he got up and the woman told him that she did not want him to leave.
Taylor admitted to digitally penetrating her. He told police that he could not recall any choking occurring.
Taylor has no criminal history, according to the affidavit.