NORTHAMPTON — A former University of Massachusetts student from California pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge that he raped a fellow student in December.
Ryder Chilcoff, 21, of Villa Park, California, was arraigned on a charge of rape in Hampshire Superior Court. He had previously been charged in Eastern Hampshire District Court in connection to the case and pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape.
The Gazette generally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.
Chilcoff allegedly raped a woman in his dorm room. The woman told police she woke up in Chilcoff’s bed on Dec. 9, 2017, without any pants or underwear on and had no recollection of how she got there or what happened inside the room, according to court documents. The woman told police she had been drinking the night before, the documents state.
At his arraignment in district court, Chilcoff denied the suggestion the alleged victim was too drunk to consent, Chilcoff’s attorney Jonah Goldmsith said.
He has since withdrawn from the UMass, his current attorney John H. Cunha Jr., of Boston, said in court Tuesday.
Chilcoff was released on a previously posted $7,500 bail and ordered to surrender his passport, have no contact with the alleged victim, stay away from UMass Amherst and sign a waiver of rendition. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 18.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.
