News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Coym was arrested on February 14 on charges that he drugged, kidnapped and raped women he met in bars or at rodeos.
According to Captain Pete Wanless of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department, at least 15 of those women were alleged victims of kidnapping and sexual assault.
The others were "probably given some type of drug but were lucky enough not to have succumbed to it, or left with friends before they did," Wanless said.
More charges are expected to follow in the wake of an on-going investigation that currently involves eight detectives, including three from Deschutes County, three from the Oregon State Police and two from the City of Bend.
Wanless said many of the victims were traumatized by the experience. The sheriff's department is receiving assistance from the Central Oregon Battering and Rape Alliance (COBRA) and the Deschutes County District Attorney's victim assistance program in working with those who may have been assaulted by Coym.
Victims had "no ability to defend themselves against this guy," Wanless said.
Those who were drugged acted as if they were very intoxicated. The next day, they would experience feelings of nausea, exhaustion and amnesia, "feeling as if they were coming out of an anesthetic, if you've ever had surgery, with no memory of what had occurred.
"She doesn't even realize she's been a victim," Wanless said.
Even though Coym is in jail, the sheriff's office is concerned that others may copy the crime.
Wanless warned women to "control your drink, take it to the restroom if you have to." He said one woman was drugged in a bar when she got up to go to the restroom after Coym "had already hit on her five times."
That potential victim left the bar with friends, Wanless said.
In another instance, the victim was pregnant, although she did not know it at the time. "Who knows what affect the drugs could have had on the fetus?" Wanless asked.
Captain Wanless said "It is not necessary for a woman to have been sexually molested to be a victim. If you were drugged and then moved in a vehicle from point A to point B without your permission, you were kidnapped, and we want to hear from you."
The sheriff's department hopes to develop a large group of victims against the alleged rapist, so that those with the best recollection can assist in building a case.
The victim hotline phone number is 541-388-6644.
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