Mail Tribune News - Grand jury indicts Chippendale dancer

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-01-14

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Grand jury indicts Chippendale dancer A Chippendales dancer who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman hours after a show at a Medford nightclub has been indicted by a Jackson County grand jury. Joseph William DiRese, 33, is charged with two misdemeanor counts of third-degree sexual abuse as well as two felonies: first-degree sexual abuse and attempted first-degree rape. The most serious charge is first-degree sexual abuse, a Measure 11 offense under Oregon law that carries a mandatory sentence of 75 months in prison. Medford police arrested the dancer at a local motel Sunday morning after a 23-year-old woman reported that he sexually assaulted her Saturday night in a motorhome parked outside the club. The woman told police that DiRese, who goes by the stage name Joey Dean, tried to make her perform oral sex on him, fondled her breasts over her shirt and repeatedly blocked her from exiting the motorhome. Included in the charges is an allegation that DiRese grabbed the victim�s head and forced her to make "contact" with his penis. The nationally known Chippendales, an all-male strip-tease revue, was in town for a performance Saturday night at Ground Zero, a downtown Medford nightclub. The motorhome belonged to Chippendales. A spokesman for the Las Vegas-based act denied the charges Tuesday, saying the woman falsely accused DiRese after she was confronted by her boyfriend, a bouncer at the club. Medford police confirmed the woman�s boyfriend was working security at the show. The complaint was made at 5 a.m. Sunday, about six hours after the assault allegedly occurred. The indictment was handed down Tuesday, which the court processed Wednesday. Also on Tuesday, a prosecutor said Medford police have been assigned to investigate the case further. Court records indicate the indictment was based on the testimony of the alleged victim and a patrol officer who made the arrest. DiRese is scheduled for arraignment at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday. In the meantime, he remains lodged in jail on $200,000 bail.   Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds |  Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive  | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA