Judge finds probable cause after hearing testimony in first-degree rape case

Sep. 3—The accuser in a recently filed rape case testified Thursday morning at the Payne County Courthouse and said she felt "shamed" while being questioned by the attorney for the defense.

The defendant, Guthrie resident Van Millyon Jirdon, 24, was charged with first-degree rape in July.

The victim was the only witness called by Assistant District Attorney Debra Vincent to testify at the preliminary hearing . She began direct-examination by asking the woman questions about her and the defendant.

The woman told the court she and Jirdon were "just friends" and he had never stayed overnight at her residence before this incident. Jirdon was invited out by the victim while she and some friends were hanging out at the Treehouse Tavern, a bar near Perkins.

They all stayed until the bar closed at 2 a.m., and Jirdon asked to stay at her residence because he had been drinking, she said. The two took different vehicles and drove to her residence, where she said she provided pillows and blankets so he could sleep on the couch.

She testified that she took a sleeping pill and went to bed, while Jirdon said he was staying up to watch TV. She went into her room, closed her door and went to bed.

Vincent asked her if she woke up before she normally would have and the woman told the court she woke up to Jirdon sexually assaulting her.

She testified that she froze due to traumatic experiences in her past and pretended to be asleep during the assault. She never intended to have any physical relationship with Jirdon, and there hadn't been a physical moment between them in the past, she told the court.

She was cross-examined by defense attorney Virginia Banks who is representing Jirdon. Banks questioned the woman about the assault, where she was and how her body was positioned.

After several questions about where her body was positioned and how much alcohol she had consumed, the victim became distraught and said she felt she was being shamed by the defense counsel.

The court went into recess so the victim could have a break from questioning, and once it resumed she was briefly cross-examined again.

Judge Katherine Thomas ultimately found probable cause that Jirdon had committed first-degree rape and he was bound over for trial court arraignment. He will appear in court again Sept. 24.