Police

Gary Grado

Jun. 2, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Phoenix police arrested a 20-year-old man Monday on suspicion of raping an unconscious woman live on the Internet.

Although the alleged sexual assault was broadcast Feb. 26 on a Web site for live streaming video and chat, Phoenix police have only recently gotten an incomplete recording of it.

Johnathon Richard Hock of Surprise turned himself in and is in jail without bail, booked on suspicion of kidnapping, sexual assault and surreptitious photographing.

While it is common for young people to video record their crimes and post them on the Internet, this case may be breaking new ground, said Parry Aftab, executive director of WiredSafety.org.

"It's the first livestream of an actual rape that I'm aware of," said Aftab, who has been in the Internet safety business for 14 years.

The Tribune is withholding the 20-year-old alleged victim's name and the name of the Web site. As of Tuesday afternoon, images of the woman could still be found on the site.

A visit to the Web site shows that Hock regularly posted there and he had a live show.

According to a search warrant affidavit, Hock and the woman were drinking at a gathering in a Phoenix home Feb. 25 when she decided to go to bed about midnight.

At 5 a.m. Feb. 26, Hock went into her bedroom and set up a laptop with a camera built in and signed onto the Web site and proceeded to rape her, according to the search warrant affidavit. The young woman slept through the 30-minute episode.

A viewer in Lafayette, La., called the Arizona Department of Public Safety to report the rape.

"She said while he was doing this he was laughing and making comments," the affidavit states. "She said (Hock) made comments about how the victim would never know what was happening to her because she was 'passed out.'"

The alleged victim's roommate signed onto a second Web site that is associated with the livestream site and found still photos of her passed out and Hock lying beside her.

The woman was also deluged with text messages from friends.

The alleged assault had become the buzz on the associated Web site and there were more than 188 comments posted about it.

According to the affidavit, written by Detective Karen Allbright, the still photos didn't have the elements of a sexual assault, so police had to go in search of a recording of it.

Police served a search warrant on the second Web site's server, but came away with nothing.

A letter posted by the owner of that Web site said he turned over a recording to police last week and that the recording was never uploaded or posted.

E-mails sent to both Web sites seeking comment were not immediately returned.

According to a court document filed Monday, the recording from the Web site is five minutes and appears to be incomplete.

The affidavit states that Hock and the woman had an instant message conversation in which he "admits to doing something" and admits that he knew she was passed out.

"Hock goes on to tell her he never raped her and it is not in his character. He blames the alcohol for what happened," the affidavit states.

Aftab said many young people who post videos of themselves or broadcast live on the Internet are motivated by increasing their popularity and do things they wouldn't ordinarily do.

"It's their 15 megabytes of fame," Aftab said. "They are driven by their own reality show."

Aftab then sounded a warning about Hock's case.

"I expect to see copycats," Aftab said.

Newstex ID: 35471197