Former Whatcom man suspected of raping incapacitated victim while she slept
A 34-year-old former Whatcom County resident is suspected of sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman he was familiar with while she slept.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Jose Luis Ramos into Whatcom County Jail Wednesday, April 27, on suspicion of second-degree rape. Jail records show Ramos was released later Wednesday on $75,000 bail.
Ramos and the victim were reportedly friends from school, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents, and they went out as friends on the evening of July 31, 2020.
In a sworn statement to deputies made on Aug. 13, 2020, court documents state the victim reported:
▪ She had started a new medication shortly before going out with Ramos.
▪ She and Ramos went to two establishments and she consumed four drinks, making her feel intoxicated and unable to walk normally.
▪ They returned to Ramos’ vehicle, and the victim vomited out of the car window. The victim reported she felt unusually intoxicated for how much alcohol she had consumed.
▪ Though the victim asked to be taken home, Ramos instead took her to the apartment he said he was living in.
▪ The victim remembers vomiting in the yard and falling and hitting her head on the lawn, and Ramos carried her inside.
▪ At some point during the night, the victim recalls waking up and Ramos “hovering over her.” The victim said she believes Ramos was sexually assaulting her, though she reported being “barely conscious” and giving no consent to sexual contact.
▪ The victim woke up the next morning with her underwear around her ankles.
▪ Ramos told the victim he had oral sex with her because she had asked him to do so, but denied having intercourse with her.
The victim had a sexual assault examination performed at St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham the next day, according to court documents, but did not disclose Ramos’ name, as he had requested. When she called Ramos afterward, he changed his story and said they did not have any sexual contact.
When deputies spoke to Ramos, he said he had never told the victim that he had oral sex with her and denied any sexual contact.
Deputies asked Ramos if he would be willing to provide a DNA sample, court documents state, and Ramos said he voluntarily would if the sexual assault exam returned DNA.
On Sept. 14, 2021, the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab returned results from the sexual assault exam that showed the presence of male DNA from the samples taken from the victim, according to documents. No match was found for the male’s DNA in databases.
On Sept. 22, 2021, deputies spoke by phone with Ramos, who said he had since moved to Alaska, according to court documents. Ramos reportedly was non-committal when asked to provide a DNA sample and said he could not remember his current address, saying he would call deputies back, which he never did.
Court records show a warrant was issued for Ramos arrest on April 13.
Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.
▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.
▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/
▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.
▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.
