Suspect arrested in college rape case
Big Bend Community College President Bill Bonaudi speaks to reporters on campus yesterday about Monday's abduction and rape of a 19-year-old student.
MOSES LAKE - A transient suspected of kidnapping and raping a 19-year-old Moses Lake college student was arrested Tuesday morning.
Moses Lake Police Officers arrested Jerald W. Thomas, Jr., 33, for first degree kidnapping, first degree rape and first degree robbery.
He is accused of abducting the woman at knife-point from a parking lot on the campus of Big Bend Community College Monday morning before robbing and raping her.
Thomas was arrested Tuesday morning at a bus stop on Kittleson Road near state Route 17 in Moses Lake, according to Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones.
"We are grateful for the tips from the public and cooperation from our local law enforcement partners who helped us catch this dangerous suspect," Jones stated.
"We decided to use the buddy system this morning," Big Bend Community College student Sara Lewis said Tuesday, gesturing toward her friend Lisa Vasquez.
"I'm glad he was caught," Vasquez said of Thomas' arrest.
She added she feels safer now although she'd like to see more of a campus police presence in the future.
The college has asked the Grant County Sheriff's Office to increase patrols, according to College President Bill Bonaudi.
"They've been very, very responsive," he said of the sheriff's officers.
Paid security and maintenance staff will continue to sweep parking lots and other areas of campus on a regular basis and the college plans to better advertise a voluntary emergency alert system.
"We'll certainly use an appropriate description of this event to encourage people to sign up," Bonaudi said. "It'll also give us a chance during inservice training sessions to raise the awareness of staff and students to be more alert and to observe things that are unusual on campus."
Bonaudi, who has been in his position for 16 years, stressed the college has never before had an incident of this magnitude.
"I think the most serious incidents we have records of are car break-ins," he said. "It's a shock to the entire campus because we consider this to be an extremely safe environment and this certainly tells us that we're not perfect ... We feel so much for the student and her family."