Peter Mesko, a Cornell University wrestler, has been freed on a $5,000 bail following his arrest Tuesday for raping a sleeping student at an off campus residence early Saturday. He is indicted of first-degree rape.
Mesko, 22, was arrested after the victim's companion clicked pictures of him sleeping on the bed, with his pants partway down.
The victim's companion told the police that she identified the assaulter as a wrestler from a previous night's party, but didn't know his name. With the help of the photographs she searched the athletic department website to get his name.
The incident occurred around 4:45 a.m. when one of the two women, sleeping in the bedroom, awoke to find a stranger raping her and her cries, subsequently, woke her partner.
The women fought him off and ran upstairs to bolt themselves in a room.
The victim's partner went back to the room downstairs 10 minutes later and took pictures of the man. She then ran back upstairs; the assaulter followed her and tried to get in to the room but did not succeed as the door was locked.
The victim recalled him trying to push open the door twice and twisting the door knob.
About half an hour later, they left the building and noticed Mesko was asleep on a sofa bed.
The victim contacted the police immediately after getting a rape exam done at an emergency room.
Mesko is a senior student at agricultural school. He secured third place in a New York State intercollegiate wrestling tournament last year.
"The arrest this week of a Cornell student charged with raping a fellow student has shocked our community," Cornell Dean of Students, Kent Hubbell, said in a statement. "Hubbell said that a new website has been introduced to provide support for victims of sexual violence as well as those troubled by the reported rape."
