Rape suspect says he has alibi

A physician from New York who's charged with raping a woman in Athens after meeting her on the Internet has now told prosecutors he has an alibi.

An attorney for defendant Charles H. Nguyen filed a notice of alibi in the case Oct. 22, stating that Nguyen has evidence, in the form of a "œtraffic ticket," which will supposedly confirm that at the time the woman alleges Nguyen raped her, he was actually on the highway, traveling back to his home in New York.

The notice states that the Athens County Prosecutor's office has already been provided with this evidence, and also has received from the defense a request to provide cell-phone records for Nguyen.

The defense claims these phone records will also confirm that Nguyen was far away from Athens when the rape allegedly took place.

Nguyen, who was doing a residency in a New York hospital when he was arrested, is charged with rape, kidnapping, aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence. He is in jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.

The woman has claimed that after she met Nguyen online, he came to visit her in May of this year. Afterwards, she claims, she told him she was not interested in having a romantic relationship with him and he left town, but then came back and raped her in her home.

This was the only time the two had sex, according to the woman's statements. She has also reportedly alleged that Nguyen restrained her, and threatened to kill her young nephew if she did not submit to the sex.

Nguyen's attorneys have said the two had consensual sex on more than one occasion, and that the rape story was fabricated by the woman to cover up her shame over having had pre-marital sex with Nguyen in a home she shared with an older relative.

His attorneys have asked Athens County Common Pleas Judge Michael Ward to allow him to leave jail on his own recognizance while he awaits trial, but so far Ward has not granted this request. The judge has turned down a request to order county funding for a private investigator to gather defense evidence in the case.