Content warning: The following story contains graphic descriptions of violence and sexual assault and may not be suitable for everyone. For more information about resources and reporting of a sexual assault in Homer, contact South Peninsula Haven House’s 24-hour helpline at (907) 235-8943, South Peninsula Hospital at (907) 235-8101, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.
In March, the Homer Police Department issued an alert on social media that several bar patrons had reported that their drinks had been spiked. But advocates say it’s an ongoing problem in Homer, and urge the public to be more aware and to intervene when they see this type of predatory behavior.
The police department had received reports that people who had had one to two drinks then felt completely inebriated, with memory lapses, headaches, and pain.
The department’s Facebook post elicited over 100 comments from concerned residents who shared outrage, warnings and tips for protecting drinks.
Officer Kellen Stock said the department has received anecdotal reports of suspected spiked drinks in the past. But recently, they’ve received more frequent reports of suspected date rape drugging – sometimes known as “roofying.”
“In the last few months, it seemed like there was an uptick,” Stock said. “So we started looking into it.”
Stock said “eight or nine” recent incidents included the potential use of a date rape drug or someone who reported they were drugged. He said reports have come from both men and women. In some instances the drugging has resulted in sexual assaults.
“Historically, that’s been the reason for someone to spike somebody else’s drink, is trying to find a more easy victim for a sexual assault, unfortunately. So yes, a few of these have been that,” he said. “And a few of them have been apparently random. Someone just reports that they felt like they got drunk the night before, they don’t notice anything missing.”
Last month, a woman was attacked leaving a local bar, strangled and sexually assaulted in the Homer City Hall parking lot. The suspect was arrested on scene, but the woman told police she suspects she was drugged earlier in the night.
The Homer Police Department said there were 18 reported incidents of sexual assaults last year, and ten charges were made. There were 19 cases reported in 2021, and just two charges made. That’s consistent with years prior.
Advocates and law enforcement say perpetrators prey on those who they may see as vulnerable or an easy target. And incidents are likely higher than police records show, as many assaults go unreported.
Stock said it’s a difficult crime to investigate.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have anything specific as far as a suspect or anything like that,” he said, referring to the recent slew of reports. “Because in a lot of these [cases], people don’t remember what happened, especially if it’s used in alcohol. The alcohol exacerbates the effects of that drug. So they come in, and the common report is, ‘I woke up and I felt like I got hit by a train.’”
Stock said the types of drugs used to spike drinks can vary widely. Commonly known date rape drugs are GHB and Rohyprol, or “roofies,” which are tasteless and odorless. But generally, Stock said , these drugs act as a sedative and suppress the nervous system – especially when mixed with alcohol. That can include muscle relaxants, sleeping aids and anesthetics like Ketamine.
People can report incidents to the Homer Police Department anonymously, Stock said, and he added that any information is helpful.
“We always encourage the victim to come forward and talk with us, but fully knowing that it’s a difficult thing to talk about,” he said. “If we get a victim and a victim interview, we can start pursuing this a little further.”
Local advocates for survivors of sexual assault say this predatory behavior isn’t new.
Chris Fontaine is a clinical forensic nurse who has worked in the South Peninsula Hospital’s emergency room in Homer for over a decade. She’s one of the region’s main healthcare providers for those who suspect they’ve been drugged or were sexually assaulted. She provides medical care and does forensic exams, known as rape kits. If Fontaine sees someone within the first eight hours after an assault, she may do a blood test.
Fontaine commended Homer police for issuing an alert, but she said drug-facilitated sexual assault is an ongoing crisis – on the South Peninsula and around the state.
“For the 10 years that I’ve been working as a forensic nurse, every single year that I’ve been doing this job, I’ve had probably at least 10 reports of rape drugs or drug-facilitated sexual assaults, either being suspected or is reported by a patient,” she said.
The way this type of crime happens varies widely, Fontaine said. It can be perpetrated by a stranger at a bar or house party, or by an acquaintance.
“I’ve had people be abducted from bars and be returned to their friends who are looking for them,” she said. “They’re not sure where they went. They’re pretty sure that they were drugged.”
A new acquaintance can also commit these types of assaults. Fontaine said she’s also seen cases where the perpetrator drugged someone on a date.
“I’ve had people be on dates at restaurants and tell me that they were drugged and sexually assaulted,” she said. “[It’s like] having really extreme blackout reactions to maybe just one or two drinks of alcohol.”
Fontaine said she’s cared for both women and men in need of medical attention after these assaults. She thinks people may be speaking out more now because there’s less stigma.
“We really always have hoped and strive to decrease barriers to reporting,” she said. “With the sexual assault response team, working together with advocates, making sure that our protocols on privacy and serving patients are up to where they need to be in the emergency department and in the way that we respond as a community.”
While date rape drugs are commonly mixed in alcohol to amplify the sedative effect, Fontaine said assaults don’t always happen in a social setting.
“It can happen in myriad ways, with people that are trusted people, that are dating people, that are strangers,” she said. “I’ve had people report to me they suspect that they’re being drugged by their partner or their spouse or they’re not sure what drugs they’re doing. They’re not sure what drugs they’re given. They’re feeling like they’re being assaulted.”
Fontaine said this type of crime causes memory loss and confusion, so the victim may not know exactly what happened. She said survivors can also face difficult social dynamics, which can add to the trauma of the incident.
“It’s very confusing, it’s very scary,” Fontaine said. “Maybe it was a situation where they were supposed to feel safe and it turned into a very traumatic situation. They’re feeling embarrassed, ashamed, blamed, or confused. Maybe people around them witnessed this happening, or maybe not believing them, or blaming them for what happened. Or they just flat out do not remember what happened.”
Local DJ Michael Herd has been a part of Homer nightlife and entertainment for the last 10 years. He said he’s also hearing more frequent stories of suspected date rape drugging at Homer bars.
“People are talking about it more, people are more aware, people are sharing it online a lot more,” Herd said. “But I think there’s a lot more of it happening. I don’t really know why. But it’s really troubling. I can’t go out to the bar anymore without people talking about it.”
Herd said he tries to keep an eye out, and coordinates with bartenders and bouncers to watch for suspicious behavior.
“Generally, if something shady is happening, I like to step out of the booth, walk over to the bar. If the bar owner is there, I’ll talk to them,” he said. “If it’s just me and the bartender, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, you know, I see this guy over here, being kind of weird, getting a little handsy, or it seems like she’s not into it. And maybe cut him off, or consider getting the bouncer to remove him. And stuff like that, you know, we try to be as observant as possible.”
Bella Vaz is in her mid-twenties, and was born and raised in Homer, and just moved back after several years in Colorado. She said many of her peers are also moving back after the pandemic, and that includes enjoying the bar scene. She says it was a shock to see warnings about roofying.
“It’s certainly not something that I really thought about moving back to my hometown,” she said. “Especially you know, Homer is a small town. It’s my safe hometown. I didn’t really think about it at first, so kind of seeing those alerts and hearing people talk about it was a little bit shocking.”
Vaz said she’s always kept an eye on her drink, but she’s more cautious now, because of the police alert and social media warnings. She says it’s disappointing to have to be on guard, but hopes public awareness can help address the problem.
“We have such a strong community here in Homer and I think that this is a really good, maybe, growing pain for our community to go through and kind of have each other’s backs on,” she said. “So I think education and awareness is huge to help heal the community.”
Stock, the Homer police officer, said police have spoken with local bar owners in Homer about the problem, asking them to raise awareness and intervene where possible.
“So the bar owners are totally on board, to try to put a stop to this; they want people to be safe in their establishments as well,” Stock said. “And that’s our goal here is to keep everybody safe and be able to go enjoy yourself on a Friday or Saturday night.”
Stock encourages the public to report any information about suspected date rape drugging. He says it can help police identify patterns of behavior, a suspect, or review security camera footage if available.
“Not all the bars have security cameras, but some of them do — so if we can get a timeframe, we can go review security camera footage from the virus and see if we can see anything,” Stock said. “I haven’t personally had one of these cases come to fruition. But there’s a bunch of different avenues we can try to find the suspect.”
He said public awareness is key for intervening in this type of predatory behavior.
“I think the most effective way is going to be a community effort and get bar owners and bar attendees on board with keeping an eye on everybody else’s drinks,” Stock said. “And as long as whoever may be doing this, persons or people, once they realize that we as the community of Homer aren’t going to put up with this. Then ideally, they would stop.”
Fontaine, the forensic nurse, said it’s never too late to report a suspected drugging or assault, which can be done anonymously. Support services like counseling or medical care are also available.
For more information about resources and reporting of a sexual assault in Homer, contact South Peninsula Haven House’s 24-hour helpline at (907) 235-8943, South Peninsula Hospital at (907) 235-8101, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.
