Columbia man charged with first-degree rape, first-degree assault

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged on Thursday with first-degree assault, first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy.

Aleksey Grigory Salaz – born in 2002 -- is accused of raping and assaulting a woman he met on Feb. 24 at Harpo’s Bar and Grill in downtown Columbia. He is not in custody, according to Boone County Jail records. A warrant was ordered and no bond was set.

The heavily redacted probable cause statement says the victim consumed a large amount of alcohol and was intoxicated. At least two people – whose names were redacted – described the victim as drunk.

According to the probable cause statement, when the victim went to Salaz’s apartment, he allegedly pulled out a gun, loaded it in front of the victim and continued to “manipulate” the weapon in front of the victim. He then raped the victim.

Court documents say Salaz put the victim in chokeholds 10 times and told them to “tap out.” The statement says Salaz has a background in wrestling and mixed martial arts with ties to the Jefferson City area.