Man accused of raping woman at Denver airport

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The family of a woman raped in a nearly empty Denver airport terminal raised questions on Wednesday about whether some employees witnessed the attack without intervening.

The suspect, Noel Alexander Bertrand, 26, appeared in district court Wednesday after his arrest on suspicion of sexual assault a day earlier, and was being held in lieu of $50,000 bond.

The attack at Denver International Airport happened in Concourse A at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

The victim's family members said she had missed a connecting flight Monday evening and had to spend the night at the airport. She said her assailant had struck up a conversation with her in a restaurant, and then followed her out of the eatery, sat down beside her and tried to kiss her, according to a family member.

When she objected, the man threw her to the floor and assaulted her, the relative said.

Family members said the woman told them three people she believed to be airport employees walked by without helping.

Police spokesman Sonny Jackson said two workers pulled a man off a woman shortly before police officers and airport security personnel arrived, and others saw the incident and telephoned for help but didn't intervene.

Jackson described those who called as "good witnesses" and said calling authorities is what police advise for anyone witnessing a crime. He said the two people who intervened were airline employees. He declined to identify the airline.

Airport officials believe airport workers, including employees of outside contractors, 'responded appropriately', spokeswoman Jenny Schiavone said.

The family members said the woman was flying from her home in Oregon to a convent in Peoria, Ill., to look into a yearlong service program through the Catholic Church. The woman, who comes from a military family, is participating in a program at a convent and is on a break from studying to be a dental hygienist, according to her family.

The Associated Press does not use the names of people who report being sexually assaulted unless they agree to be identified. The AP isn't identifying the family member to protect the woman's identity.

Bertrand, of Portland, Ore., appeared calm at his court appearance Wednesday but occasionally wrung papers he was holding. He had a beard and wore yellow prison-issued shirt and pants.

The district attorney's office said a decision on whether to file formal charges would come later this week. Authorities said he didn't yet have an attorney.

No one returned telephone messages left at what were believed to be Bertrand's home in Portland and his family's home in Vancouver, Wash.

KMGH-TV reported that a woman who identified herself as Bertrand's grandmother said Bertrand is a former Marine. One of his previous addresses in public records was a U.S. Marine facility in Japan.

Jackson said violent crime is rare at the airport. He said he knows of one other alleged sexual assault there, which was reported last year and is still in the courts. Jackson said both the suspect and the alleged victim worked at the airport and the incident was not in an area accessible to the public.