A 50-year-man was sentenced to 6 to 10 years in prison in Fall River Superior Court on Friday for raping his younger female co-worker after offering her a drink which left her with no memory of the night.
“I am pleased that the jury held the defendant accountable for taking advantage of the victim whom he knew,” said Bristol County DA Thomas Quinn. “The defendant purchased a drink for the victim when she was not present and after consuming some of the drink, she became extremely impaired. The DNA evidence was critical in the case as the defendant lied to the police during the investigation.”
A jury trial found Dino Balanca, of Taunton, of raping his co-worker and intimidation of a witness last week. Judge Rene Dupuis sentenced Balanca to 6 to 10 years in state prison with a 3-year probation on Friday.
On Feb. 8, 2018, the then-27-year-old victim was closing out her shift at the Sandbar Grill in Taunton when her coworker, Balanca, offered to drive her home after she finished, the DA’s office said. Balanca headed to Bobby’s Pub next door, and the victim met him there after her shift, ordering one drink.
At the pub, the DA said, the victim went to the restroom, and when she returned Balanca gave her another drink she hadn’t ordered.
She drank some and went outside to smoke a cigarette, the DA’s office stated. The last memory she has of the evening was smoking.
At about 2 a.m. the next day, the victim’s boyfriend received “frantic” calls from her, saying she was outside — in the 17-degree weather — and didn’t know where she was.
It took the boyfriend an hour and 40 minutes driving around Taunton to find her, the DA’s office said.
Alone on the street outside, she had a bleeding gash above her right eye and injuries to her leg and foot, the prosecutors said. The young woman was disoriented and not responsive to her boyfriend’s questions.
The victim was also missing her purse, the DA said, and the next morning, the defendant texted he had it.
The victim and her boyfriend came to collect the purse, during which Balanca said he had “no knowledge” of what happened and she left the bar on her own accord, prosecutors recounted.
Later that day, the victim went to Morton Hospital, was treated for her injuries and had a sexual assault kit performed. An internal swab found sperm cells, the DA’s office said, which were matched to Balanca’s DNA.
During her testimony, prosecutors said, the victim stated she would never have consented to sexual intercourse with the defendant.
When questioned by police, Balanca gave various accounts of the events, first saying the victim left Bobby’s Pub while he was in the bathroom and a pub employee gave him her purse. Surveillance footage shows the two walking towards his car and getting in together around 1 a.m.
Balanca later told police he drove the victim but didn’t know where he dropped her off, the DA’s office said. He then said he dropped her off at home.
In another recount during the trial, Balanca told the jury he lied to police, stating he and the victim left the pub together and had consensual sex.
“I hope the conviction will give the victim closure and allow her to move forward with her life,” said Quinn. “I commend her perseverance from the time of the assault to the end of the court process.”
The Boston Police have release spiked drink warning, recommending using the buddy system when out drinking; only taking drinks from bartenders; never leaving your glass unattended, keeping an eye out for individuals in distress, disoriented, or dressed inappropriately for the weather; and other precautions.
Police also recommend resources like drink covers and drug test strips.