Editor's Note: The following story contains information that may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault.
The 41 Action News I-Team obtained a probable cause statement that reveals new details in an alleged rape by a now former Johnson County deputy.
It's a story the I-Team broke earlier this month, when Chad Jennings was charged with rape and aggravated sodomy.
The news came after the I-Team interviewed Jennings' accuser and contacted the Johnson County District Attorney's Office to ask why, a year after the alleged rape occurred, a decision had not yet been made regarding charges.
Considering this case involves sexual assault, 41 Action News will not identify the victim or her fiance. For the purposes of this story, they will be called "Sarah" and "David."
They're a couple that enjoy spending time with friends, which is why they decided to have a bonfire at David's house on May 1, 2020.
David, who was then employed as a Johnson County sheriff's deputy, invited his coworker, Chad Jennings.
"(He was) Just kind of like a partner and a brother, who I thought was a loyal, loyal friend," David said.
What Sarah told us happened the night of the party matches what she told police.
According to the probable cause statement, Sarah said at one point in the night, she went inside alone, leaving David and Jennings by the fire pit. Then, Jennings "entered the room and got on top of her."
"I just really believed that Chad was intoxicated and I would be able to push him away and he would go away," Sarah said. "But the more that I pushed him away, the more aggressive he got in holding me down in the bed. He did rape me that night."
The probable cause statement shows when police interviewed Jennings, he denied raping Sarah and said all of the sexual contact was consensual.
However, that same document shows when Sarah was re-interviewed, she again said none of the sexual contact was consensual.
Sarah told the I-Team that coming to terms with what happened that night took time, which is why she made the police report 10 days after the alleged rape occurred.
"It took an entire week of guilt and shame and hardly knowing how to approach my partner and finally a meeting with my therapist to overcome that and replay the experience in a way that I did not place the blame or the fault on me," Sarah said.
When reached by phone, an attorney for Chad Jennings said neither he nor his client would comment on the case at this time.
Jennings will appear in court on July 1.
