UW student says man broke in, raped her, tried to inject her with meth

SEATTLE – A man has been charged with raping a woman in Seattle’s University District, and prosecutors say he then attempted to inject her with methamphetamine and send text messages that would make it appear she tried to buy drugs from him.

Police said they caught the man a few days later after he broke into another house nearby.

Asfawesan Dres was charged with first-degree rape and first-degree burglary in King County Superior Court.

According to court documents:

Dres was released from King County Jail the night of Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. to serve the remaining part of his sentence on a drug charge.

The next morning at 10 a.m., a University of Washington student woke up to Dres standing in the bedroom of her University District apartment. Though she lives in a locked building, Dres had apparently gotten in the main entrance and then entered her own unit through an unlocked door.

The woman said Dres forcibly raped her.

She said when Dres finished, he pulled out a needle and tried to inject her with what he said was methamphetamine. She knocked the needle behind her bed, where police found it later.

She said Dres then used her phone to send text messages that would make it look like she was looking for drugs.

The woman said that as Dres left, he tried to fist-bump her.

Three days later, police got a call after Dres entered another house in the University District and entered two bedrooms where residents were sleeping. He left after he was discovered.

Police said they are investigating whether that burglary could be sexually motivated.

Dres has a long criminal record, with 36 warrants in King County alone. He also has been convicted of crimes in Pacific and Snohomish counties.

Dres was charged Thursday, and is scheduled to be arraigned March 15. Bail was set at $500,000.