A University of Utah student athlete who fled to Canada after being accused of rape has been caught by authorities upon his return to the country, prosecutors said.
Benjamin Smyth, a Vancouver-born sophomore at the college, was arrested this week and charged with sodomy, sexual abuse and rape, in response to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sima Gill.
Smyth’s attorney declined to comment on whether Smyth returned from fleeing to Canada voluntarily or was caught when his return to the country triggered an arrest warrant.
“We understand he’s in custody in Seattle,” Gill said.
Smyth is accused of intruding on a university friend the night he met her in August 2022.
A 19-year-old Division I fellow diver visited the unnamed woman in her dorm room after learning her roommates weren’t at home, court documents said.
The victim rejected all of Smyth’s repeated alleged attempts to have sexual contact along with her – including his suggestion of playing “truth or dare”.
In the long run, Smyth allegedly pushed the young woman to the ground as she cried “no” that she “didn’t need to do it” and expressed pain.
![The university has since removed Smyth's profile from its athletics page, although an existing account shows that he attended a meeting just three days before the alleged victim reported the assault.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/utah-1.jpg?w=1024)
The lady reported the crime in February, which resulted in Smyth’s immediate expulsion from the university’s diving team — just two weeks before the team’s Division I championship game.
Smyth is accused of initially denying that he knew the victim, but later recanted that lie and claimed they’d consensual sex.
Based on Smyth’s friends, the diver would often brag about “the number of women he’s had sex with” and would make a listing of his conquests to point out others.
When the detective arrived at Smyth’s dorm room to implement the restraining order, his roommate said the diver had packed his bags and moved out.
The college confirmed that Smyth was enrolled for the spring term when he allegedly fled to his hometown of Vancouver.
The university has since removed Smyth’s profile from its athletics page, although an existing account shows that he attended a gathering just three days before the alleged victim reported the assault.
“We take these types of matters very seriously and proceed to observe the situation,” the University of Utah said in a press release.
With the mail wires