WEST JORDAN, Utah -- A man accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in June was dismissed from all charges Friday.
Michael Anthony Kooyman, 39, faced multiple first-degree felony rape charges and the possibility of life in prison.He was arrested in June when a woman claimed that he drugged and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint in his Sandy home.
At one point in the case, an emergency room nurse told detectives that the victim's injuries were the most severe she'd ever seen. Shortly after that, the district attorney raised Kooyman's bail from $100,000 to $500,000.
As the case moved closer to trial, there were apparently some severe issues with the victim's testimony and credibility, which defense attorney Rudy Bautista said led prosecutors to drop all the sexual assault charges Thursday.
"Especially in a rape case you want to investigate all aspects of the case," Bautista said. "There was numerous inconsistencies with the allegations to begin with, and a thorough investigation on multiple fronts both by the defense team as well as the district attorneys themselves led to the conclusion that there was just too much evidence that was contrary to her statements-- that there's just no likelihood of getting a guilty verdict beyond a reasonable doubt."
Kooyman was ultimately charged with a third-degree felony of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, which he plead guilty to.
Kooyman was given credit for time served in the Salt Lake County Jail. He was also ordered to pay a fine, and ordered to serve 36 months of supervised probation.
