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[whitespace] Police look into possibility that Los Gatos man used a 'date rape' drug

Los Gatos--A Los Gatos man was recently arrested for attempted rape on an unconscious female, and police have not ruled out the possibility that he used a "date rape" drug.

Roger Thomas, 36, was arrested by detectives from the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department and members of the Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team on March 2, at Thomas' home. Thomas is currently being held at the Santa Clara County Jail, with bail set at $750,000.

Thomas and the 25-year-old victim, whose name was not released because of the nature of the crime, met when he did work on her car. According to police records, they went for drinks at Mountain Charley's bar on N. Santa Cruz Avenue the evening of Feb. 23. The victim could not remember what happened after finishing her first drink. The next thing the victim could remember was waking up in Thomas's bed hours later; Thomas told her that they had had sex.

After going to Valley Medical Center, the victim led police officers to Thomas's home. According to a press release issued by the police department, police Detective Cynthia Coahran began to investigate the case during the last week of February. Coahran found that there was sufficient evidence to arrest Thomas, and that he was in violation of parole. Thomas had been on parole after being convicted of burglary with great bodily harm in Los Angeles, said police Detective Sgt. Tim Morgan.

There is speculation that Thomas could have used a "date rape" drug on the victim. Morgan says that, if so, the drug is likely to be gamma-hydroxybutyrate, also known as GHB, "liquid ecstasy," or "liquid X"--the "date rape" drug of choice.

According to Morgan, GHB comes in the form of an odorless, colorless and powderless liquid. When poured into an alcoholic drink, it becomes especially dangerous--the effects are doubled. Those who drink it lose memory of what happened soon after it is consumed.

GHB is metabolized quickly, Morgan said, and can be out of a body's digestive system in as little as 12 hours. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to trace. Evidence, including unknown liquids, was recovered from Thomas's house during the execution of a search warrant, and has been sent to county crime labs for analysis.

Authorities have not yet set an arraignment date for Thomas. However, police are still conducting an investigation and are looking for more information. Detective Coahran asks that anyone with information regarding this case to contact her at 408.354.8600.
Gloria I. Wang

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