Man arrested for alleged rape of inebriated woman at city’s cold-weather warming shelter
- Mark Sabbatini
- 15 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Antoine Zeno, 44, charged with felony sexual assault of victim described by a shelter employee as unresponsive "like a ragdoll"; officials say it is the first such case at the facility
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
A man accused of raping a woman who was intoxicated and trying to sleep at the city’s cold-weather emergency shelter has been charged with felony sexual assault, according to officials and court records.
Antoine Tashawn Zeno, 44, was seen by shelter staff attempting to assault the alleged victim, who was asleep, at about midnight Friday, according to a criminal complaint filed later that day at the Dimond Courthouse in Juneau. A staff member trying to ask the woman about the incident stated she was unresponsive "like a rag doll."
Zeno was ordered to leave the shelter, but less than 10 minutes later had moved a mattress next to the alleged victim, put a blanket over both of them and sexually assaulted the woman, according to interviews with shelter staff by a Juneau Police Department detective described in the court filing.
Zeno initally stated nothing happened with the alleged victim, and then after being detained and handcuffed told police the activity was consensual, according to the court report. He was booked at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
The warming shelter in a city-owned warehouse in Thane, about a mile south of the Goldbelt Tram, is open for its third winter season with St. Vincent de Paul Juneau operating the facility under a contract with the city. Jennifer Skinner, executive director of SVDP Juneau, said in an interview Tuesday that Zeno and the alleged victim were part of a group that arrived Thursday night, when a total of 41 people stayed at the shelter.
"At first it definitely seemed to be a friendly interaction between a group of folks," Skinner said. "And then it became evident that he was being bothersome, which is nothing out of the norm for us — we have people who bother other people all the time." She said after Zeno’s intrusions were first observed, the alleged victim woke up and moved to a different location. The woman protested when Zeno approached again and committed the alleged assault, while trying to quiet her objections,
"She definitely had said ‘no’ and that was overheard by staff, and that's when it triggered staff to go back over there and completely intervene, and get JPD involved," Skinner said.
The alleged victim was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital for a medical evaluation, Skinner said. The woman has returned to the shelter every night since.
The incident is the first such assault reported at the shelter, she said.
Staff monitoring includes patrolling the rows of mattresses at the shelter every 15 minutes and keeping an employee next to the bathrooms, Skinner said. She said no immediate policy changes were being considered as a result of the alleged assault.
"Just in general we do our best to provide a safe and warm place for people to exist in and, unfortunately, bad choices are sometimes hard to prevent, but we do our best," she said. "And I feel like the person that was affected by this knows that and feels supported by us because she's continuing to return, knowing that we will keep an eye on her and, of course, any unsavory behavior."
Zeno is permanently banned from the warming shelter, Skinner added.
Deputy City Manager Rober Barr, in a text message to the Juneau Independent on Tuesday, stated "we’re engaged in conversations with our contractor with regard to their internal policies and protocols to determine if and how improvements could be made to reduce the probability of future incidents."
"We were very concerned to learn of the incident," he wrote. "Safety of the users of the warming shelter is the primary goal of the program."
The shelter, normally open from 9 p.m. to 6:45 a.m. daily, is remaining open during a cold spell this week with wind chill temperatures well below zero, Skinner said.
Zeno is charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault involving penetration without consent, a Class B felony. A preliminary hearing is scheduled at 11 a.m. Friday at the Dimond Courthouse.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
