A 45-year-old Vail man allegedly harassed and groped a woman repeatedly Saturday night at a downtown bar, then assaulted her when she pushed back against his advances, according to a police report.
The actions by Todd Santos — which allegedly included trying to slap and punch the woman in the face — earned him the scorn of the other patrons at Belly Up.
“He can’t get away with that,” one person said to police, according to the report. “I hope you rot in jail,” another said as Santos was being led out of the bar by police.
The 28-year-old victim in the case said Santos followed her around all night trying to flirt with her, and that she eventually told him to leave her alone.
“(The woman) then told me that Santos smacked her ‘ass,'” the police report states. “After Santos hit (her) in the buttocks, (the woman) pushed him away.”
Santos then allegedly tried to “full-blown smack me” in the face with an open hand, the alleged victim told police, according to the report.
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“(The woman) then tried to tackle Santos,” the report states. “Santos grabbed (her) by the hair, pulled her to the ground and tried to punch her in the face with a closed fist.”
A witness to the incident told police he saw Santos’ fist connect with the woman’s face.
Other people in the club then stepped in and pulled Santos off the woman, the report states.
Santos “was heavily intoxicated” and unable to communicate with officers, according to the report. He became increasingly belligerent with a police officer and eventually was arrested and taken to the Pitkin County Jail.
Santos was charged with third-degree assault and unlawful sexual contact, both misdemeanors.