4 arrested in dorm room rape of UMass student

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - Four men have been arrested for the alleged rape of an 18 year-old student at UMass Amherst.

According to a news release sent to 22News by Patrick Callahan of UMass News and Media Relations, the attack is alleged to have happened in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 13, at the victim’s dorm room. The victim knew her four alleged attackers, and campus police determined that the University community in general was not in danger.

All of the suspects are Pittsfield residents, who Callahan says are not UMass students. Eighteen year-old Adam Licciardi faces four counts of rape, while Emmanuel Toffee Bile, 18, Justin King, 18, and Caleb Womack, 17, all face three counts of rape in connection with the attack. The four were arrested by a team that included UMass Police, Pittsfield Police, and Massachusetts State Police.

At their arraignment in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown Monday, Jennifer Suhl of the Northwestern District Attorney's office said that the four suspects had been seen on surveillance video entering the victim's room shortly after 12:30, and were not seen leaving until around 4. (Licciardi did not leave until later, and is accused of raping the victim an additional time.)

Suhl said that the victim was intoxicated at the time of the attack, and was drifting in and out of consciousness.

The victim is recovering, and prosecutors say she is now doing okay.

UMass Police Chief John Horvath says that following the incident, they are going to review residence hall security procedures, which he says have been successful in the past.

“The safety of our students is paramount,” Horvath said.

Suhl said that the suspects had been signed-in to the university by another student.

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said that the university is doing what it can to support the victim. “We will not tolerate this violent behavior. The victim and her family are receiving support from our campus resources. I know that I speak on behalf of our university community when I say that they are all in our thoughts during this difficult time,” he said.

During the suspects' arraignment on Monday, bail was set at $10,000 with GPS monitoring upon release and a 10:00 P.M to 6:00 A.M. curfew. The suspects would also be ordered to stay out of Amherst and the victim's hometown.