The chairman of the North Haven Housing Authority has been arrested, accused of forcing a man to perform sex acts during a Halloween party last year and court documents shed new light on what the victim says happened.
Police arrested Ralph Cook, a 49-year-old father of two, on Tuesday after a year-long investigation.
Officers started investigating on Nov. 3, 2013, when a social worker from Yale-New Haven Hospital called them to report a man in his 30s had arrived in the emergency room, claiming he was given a drug and sexually assaulted during a Halloween party at Cook's on Mountain Brook Road on Halloween.
When police spoke with the victim, he said Cook approached him at the party, wearing a Dracula costume, offered to give him a tour of the house and poured single-malt Scotch out for both of them.
After drinking some of the beverage, the man's head started feeling heavy, so Cook helped hold him up, then began asking personal questions, like whether he was bisexual, the man said. He responded that he was not
He told Cook he was not, but Cook continued to ask
At this point, the victim was having trouble standing up, so Cook led him upstairs to his daughter's bedroom, the man told police. He then proceeded to masturbate and perform oral sex on the victim, the complainant told police.
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He told Cook to stop, the man said, but he was having trouble speaking. At one point, Cook's wife walked in and Cook lunged, slamming the door closed, the man said. When police questioned Cook's wife, she told police that she saw Cook kneeling between someone's legs, facing a person who was lying on a bed, according to court documents.
The victim told police the sexual assault continued even after this, with Cook trying to force him to perform oral sex, but the victim passed out.
"I told you, everyone is bisexual," Cook allegedly said after the assault and threatened at least five time to kill the man if he told anyone what happened, according to police.
Police noted in their report that Cook does have several guns.
The victim then told Cook he needed to leave to get to work. After hearing someone go into the bathroom, Cook rushed the victim down the hall, and the victim left, court documents said.
Investigators obtained a search and seizure warrant on Nov. 4 and went to Cook’s home to collect evidence. When police questioned Cook, he said he'd had a Halloween party but told them there were no problems with guests, according to police.
On Nov. 8, police went to obtain DNA samples from Cook.
"I never even got naked at the party," Cook told police, according to court records. "I am being blackmailed and I want you to help me," he added.
During the investigation, police spoke with a friend of Cook's, who said Cook claimed the allegation was an act of revenge.
According to the friend, Cook told him he woke up with the victim, who asked for $50,000. When Cook refused, the victim asked for $10,000. Cook denied the money again and kicked the man out of the house, he said, according to the police report.
However, police said, Cook told investigators that he did not have any problems with guests and chose not to give police a statement about the alleged blackmail.
On Tuesday morning, Cook was arrested and charged with sexual assault in the first degree and unlawful restraint. NBC Connecticut went to Cook's home and there was no answer. Officials from the housing authority also had no comment.
He was held on a $250,000 court-set bond, but bond was lowered to $100,000.
The housing authority position is volunteer and Cook is not an elected official, according to the first selectman.
Cook is also a mortgage broker, according to police.
