BOULDER, Colo. — Editor's note: This story contains details of a sexual assault that might be disturbing to some readers.
A 22-year-old man was arrested Monday after a suspected sexual assault occurred in a University of Colorado Boulder dormitory room in December.
Henry Terhaar, a CU student, was arrested on suspicion of two felonies:
- Sexual assault - victim no consent and suffered serious bodily injury
- First-degree assault - strangulation or suffocation causing seriously bodily injury.
According to an arrest affidavit, the victim told CU Police that she and Terhaar matched on a dating app on Dec. 7 and that they met up two days later. The victim said Terhaar was intoxicated when he arrived at her dorm room. The victim told police that during consensual sexual activity, Terhaar tried to choke her. When the victim said she didn't like it, he stopped, the affidavit says.
On Dec. 12, the victim and Terhaar met for a date at an on-campus eatery, the affidavit says. The victim told investigators Terhaar was very cold to her while they ate.
After eating, they went back to the victim's dorm room to watch a movie, the affidavit states. The victim said that he grabbed her and "immediately began to choke her and pull her pants down," bit her three times and forcefully pushed her face into a pillow. The victim told police she tried to turn her head to breathe but that he would push her head and face down harder, the affidavit says.
The victim said Terhaar choked her multiple times during the sexual assault — enough at times that she could not breathe, and felt dizziness and pain, the affidavit says.
When the assault was over, the victim went to the bathroom, and upon returning found that Terhaar had gathered his things and left, the affidavits states.
The victim went to the hospital after the assault. The affidavit says the victim suffered bites and bruising. She had a neck scan due to the strangulation, and medical staff noticed the victim showing signs of hypoxia, the affidavit says.
On Feb. 7, investigators talked with Terhaar, who said he "does a standard thing every time during sex, where he places his hand on someone's neck so they can feel the pressure," the affidavit says.
When investigators asked Terhaar why he chokes women during sex, he replied "he knows girls are into that," the affidavit says.
On Feb. 28, investigators received the victim's medical records related to the assault. The doctor who evaluated the victim said his opinion was that the victim suffered serious bodily injury.
Terhaar was released on $50,000 personal recognizance bond after his arrest, court records indicate. He's next scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
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