'Everything just went blank,' accuser testifies at rape trial of former Geneva doctor
The rape trial of former Geneva doctor Mark Lewis entered its first full day of testimony Tuesday, with his accuser recounting how "everything just went blank" after Lewis gave her a drink at a party at his former St. Charles house and saying that she never consented to sex with him.
Lewis, 60, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual assault of the woman, then 26 and of Crystal Lake, who was a guest at the dinner party the night of Nov. 16, 2012.
All guests had left except for Lewis, his longtime girlfriend and the woman, when, after midnight, Lewis gave the woman a glass of Maker's Mark whiskey and a soda chaser, at her request, she testified. She did not see him prepare it.
The woman testified she had two half-glasses of wine that night and was not intoxicated, but shortly after she drank the whiskey, "everything just went blank."
She woke up on the floor in one of Lewis' daughters' bedrooms about 4:30 a.m. the next day. She testified she was naked from the waist down - her black work pants, socks and underwear missing. Lying on the floor next to her was a shirtless Lewis, who told the woman she'd urinated on herself and he threw her clothes in the washer, the woman testified.
Lewis gave her a pair of his daughter's jeans to wear and he took her to view his collection of cars and motorcycles in the garage, the woman testified. She said she was "very fuzzy" and confused and having anxiety, so Lewis gave her some Xanax pills to take.
The woman testified Lewis eventually gave her pants back, but they were still dirty. Lewis also had her underwear, held it with two hands to his face to smell it, but did not return it to her, she testified.
She went back to sleep, left about 9:30 a.m. She testified she felt pain when she woke up and experienced bleeding. She went to Centegra Hospital in McHenry for a rape kit, and the DNA recovered matched Lewis, according to prosecutors and trial testimony. Tests showed the presence of Demerol, a narcotic pain reliever, in the woman's urine but she said she had not been prescribed that medication.
Lewis' defense attorneys have argued the two had consensual sex and noted the woman sued Lewis in 2013, eventually receiving $50,000 in a settlement, along with a rusted 1950s Pontiac Bonneville. Lewis was charged in summer 2014.
Assistant Public Defender Ron Dolak pointed out inconsistencies in the woman's statements to police about whether Lewis was her primary care physician and how much she drank at the party.
Dolak also questioned that if the woman's pain was so bad the following day, how was she able to pick up her 5-year-old son, have lunch with him and a friend, and visit at least two car dealerships.
If convicted, Lewis faces a sentence of six to 30 years in prison, along with lifetime registration as a sex offender.