A Port Alberni man charged in connection with a violent sexual assault in a Denver, Colorado, hotel room has pleaded not guilty.
Colby Messer, 30, was charged with two counts of sexual assault after a 27-year-old woman told Denver police she was sexually assaulted with various objects, including the base of a lamp and a telephone.
He entered the plea during an arraignment hearing in Denver Monday morning.
Messer was charged with six counts of sexual assault, four of which were dropped in August.
The Denver District Attorney's office has called the assault “brutal.” The assault allegedly took place in November 2015 when Messer and three friends, all from Vancouver Island, were in the city attending a Denver Broncos NFL game. The woman reported the assault after the men returned to Canada. Messer was arrested when he returned to the U.S. to visit Las Vegas in March 2016.
The three other men have not been charged.
Messer was released from custody on a $300,000 cash bond and with several conditions including to remain in Denver and to wear a tracking device. He is set to appear in court again on Nov. 28.
