Fresno State wrestler arrested on multiple felony charges including rape of drugged victim
Fresno State wrestler Isaiah Tito Perez has been arrested on multiple felony charges including rape of a drugged victim.
Perez was taken into custody by Fresno Police officers on Friday morning at his off-campus apartment and booked into the county jail with a bail set at $220,000. He remained in custody Tuesday morning, according to jail records.
“We are aware of the serious allegations involving one of our student-athletes,” Bulldogs athletics director Terry Tumey said in a statement to The Bee. “Fresno State takes matters such as this seriously and will not tolerate acts that are in direct contradiction of our university values that are based on respect for the integrity of every individual.
“Student-athletes are required to comply with a code of conduct and a standard of excellence. As such, the student-athlete was dismissed from our athletic program. We will continue to evaluate this situation as the legal process moves forward.”
The arrest followed a nearly two-month investigation, Fresno Police said. According to police reports, Perez invited a group of people to a party at a friend’s off-campus apartment on Nov. 18, 2020, where there was recreational alcohol and marijuana use. He was witnessed around the underage alleged victim for the majority of the evening, and eventually left with the alleged victim.
Perez, who turned 21 on Nov. 28 according to jail records, also is facing charges of kidnapping to commit rape, rape of a victim unconscious and two misdemeanors – battery on a person and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The alleged victim is not a Fresno State student, according to athletics department officials.
There have been two wrestlers named Isaiah Perez at Fresno State the past two seasons. Isaiah Tito Perez is no longer listed on the Bulldogs roster on the athletics department website, but is in the 2021 wrestling media guide. He came to Fresno State from Pitman High in Turlock.
He did not compete in the Bulldogs’ one meet this season when he was on the team – they participated in the Jan. 3 Cal Poly/Utah Valley Round Robin Tournament.
The Bulldogs’ wrestling program is in its final season – it was dropped in October along with men’s tennis and women’s lacrosse due to a sharp decline in athletics department revenues during the coronavirus pandemic.
The wrestling program, which was reinstated in 2015 by former university president Joseph I. Castro despite questions about its long-term viability, has been under investigation since last June for potential athletics department and NCAA rules violations.
Internal reports of a party at which strippers and recruits on official visits were present triggered an independent review of the program that could lead to NCAA sanctions for the program and coaches.
The university is awaiting a final report from the NCAA.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 8:19 AM.