Teen accused of rape at UCA campus dorm

A University of Central Arkansas student reported to campus police Friday that she was raped by a classmate who had walked her back to a residence hall from a party.

Michael Andrew Zeher, 18, of Bentonville has been arrested on a charge of rape, according to an affidavit filed in Faulkner County Circuit Court. Zeher waived a formal arraignment and entered an innocent plea, according to a court filing Monday.

An officer with the UCA Police Department arrived about 1:30 a.m. Friday at a residence hall east of Estes Stadium on the Conway campus in response to a reported sexual assault. The woman told authorities that she believed Zeher had sexually assaulted her after a party at the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity house, according to reports.

Zeher walked the woman, who reportedly was intoxicat- ed and did not feel well, back to the dorm, one of the woman’s friends told campus police.

Zeher said during questioning that he had sex with the woman and acknowledged that she was “incoherent” at times, according to the affidavit.

When asked why he had sex with her, Zeher replied that he had liked her for some time and “had feelings for her,” the affidavit said.

UCA spokesman Christina Madsen cited privacy laws and said the university was unable to provide details about the investigation. She noted that campus police continue to investigate and are working with prosecutors on the case.

It is the first reported rape at UCA during the 2017-18 academic year, which began late last month, said officer Michael Hooper, a spokesman for the campus Police Department.

Zeher’s name did not appear Tuesday in an online inmate roster for the Faulkner County jail.