ST. GEORGE — A 23-year-old Washington City man has been arrested for forcible sodomy after he allegedly drugged a 27-year-old woman at a St. George party and raped her.

Detectives were called to investigate a rape at a home on Indian Hills Drive on Oct. 14, according to a probable cause statement filed by St. George Police in support of the arrest.

A 27-year-old woman told investigators that she had been invited to the party by Ivan Daniel Zaragoza, whom she stayed with throughout the night since he was the only person she knew at the party, the report states.

The woman told police she had taken two shots of alcohol and had begun drinking a Mike’s Hard Lemonade before excusing herself to go to the restroom, leaving her drink unattended, the arresting officer wrote in the sworn statement, adding:

She returned to the drink and finished it. She could not remember what happened after that. She suspected Ivan (Zaragoza) had put a drug in her drink.

The next memory the woman had was waking up in the hospital as a sexual assault kit was being performed on her, the report states, noting that the woman was in pain and had scratches on her back that were not there before the party.

The woman was missing a pair of underwear and Spanx that she had been wearing at the party, according to the statement. A nurse at the hospital documented that the woman was anxious, hallucinating, dry heaving and sobbing.

Police interviewed several witnesses at the party who described the woman as “not in good shape” and that she was throwing up, unable to walk and not alert.

One witness – who said he was dating a woman who owned the home – told police the bathroom had been occupied for 20 minutes, causing a line to form at the door, the report states. When no one would answer the locked bathroom door, the man said he pounded on the door until it opened.

Several witnesses said they saw the woman on the ground as Zaragoza got off her and buttoned his pants, according to the statement. The man who opened the door said the woman’s eyes were rolling back and she was foaming at the mouth. He told police that he suspected she had been drugged.

The witnesses said they kicked Zaragoza out of the party and tended to the woman until she was taken to the hospital.

During an interview with detectives, Zaragoza said that after he and the woman had a couple shots together at the party, he went to the bathroom and she followed him in there, the report states. He said they had been in the bathroom for about three to four minutes “making out” when people began pounding on the door and he opened it.

Zaragoza further told police the woman was standing under her own power when he went to the door and spoke to people outside for about thirty seconds, according to the statement.

“In that time, he stated the (woman) fell into the bathtub and became unable to walk or move under her own power, saying she had become drunk,” the detective wrote in the statement, adding:

He said he tried to help her up and take her home, but the other party goers did not allow him to take her home.

After the detective advised Zaragoza of the rape kit and the witnesses, Zaragoza said he wanted an attorney, the report states.

Zaragoza was arrested Friday and booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Zaragoza of first-degree felony forcible sodomy.

Zaragoza has since been released from police custody on $25,000 bail pending trial.

He is scheduled to appear before 5th District Judge Jeffrey Wilcox Thursday afternoon for his initial appearance.

According to court documents, Zaragoza has no other criminal history in Utah.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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