Islander wanted in U.S. may be in Canada

Man from Central Saanich facing rape charge has fled Utah, documents say

An arrest warrant has been issued for a University of Utah student from Central Saanich facing sexual assault-related charges who law enforcement officials believe has fled to Canada.

The 19-year-old male has been charged with rape and forcible sodomy, first degree felonies, and forcible sexual assault, a second-degree felony, relating to an incident on Aug. 16, 2022, according to documents filed in the Third District Court in Salt Lake county in Utah.

Charges were filed Monday, the same day the arrest warrant was issued.

The University of Utah’s athletics office issued a statement saying on Feb. 16, it was made aware of a serious allegation involving a member of the men’s swimming and diving program.

The student was suspended from all team activities the following day, the office said.

“We take matters of this type very seriously, and have continued to monitor the situation,” the statement said.

A female student told the university’s police department that she had been reading a book in the common area of her dorm building when she was approached by a group of males, including the male student who has been charged. They shared contact information.

She went to her dorm room and received a text from the student, who came to her room and raped her, she told police, according to court documents.

When police interviewed the male student, he first denied knowing the other student, the document said. But when he was shown a photo of her, he acknowledged that he knew her and had sex with her when they first met.

Days after the interview, a police officer went to the male student’s dorm room to serve a temporary protective order. But the student’s roommate answered the door and told the officer that the male student had cleared out all his belongings and moved out.

A private investigator subsequently phoned the officer and said the male student, a Canadian citizen, had returned to Canada after learning he was being investigated for the rape of the female student, the court documents said.

The state asked the court that the male student be held without bail.

The male student was a member of the university’s diving team and was on a scholarship, according to the university’s records, the document said.

In the document filed with the court, the state listed the male student’s address in Central Saanich. There was no answer at the door on Thursday afternoon.

Central Saanich Police A/Sgt. Gary Lacey said that the detachment had not been approached by any other law enforcement agency in Canada or the U.S. about the case. “I can assure you if we are asked to help law enforcement in any way, we will provide all of the assistance required.”

Benjamin Dennis Kai Smyth is facing the charges outlined in the indictment.