Oregon Father Beats Up College Official Over Daughter's Rape Case

Oregon father Patrick Ell beat a University of Portland official with a baseball bat after accusing him of botching a sexual assault claim filed by his daughter.

The Washington Post reports that Ell beat Matthew Rygg, a former colleague who oversaw dorms, health and counseling services, and Title IX procedures, with a bat on December 16, leaving Rygg needing 18 staples to the head.

Police say Ell’s motive stems back to a complaint his daughter Clara made to the university about a fellow student who forcibly penetrated her after a party in 2016. Despite going through the formal process of reporting the incident, school officials found there wasn’t enough evidence to find her perpetrator guilty of assault. They told her that the night was “consistent” with her past contact with the student in question who she had previously had a “short-lived romantic relationship.”

Ell was outspoken about how infuriated she was with the school’s decision. Beyond unsuccessfully appealing the decision, it was widely covered in the media including a piece in Vice about consent and alcohol. Eventually Patrick resigned from his position at the university and Clara transferred to another college in 2017. At some point Ell, angry at the university for its handling of Clara’s case, decided to take matters into his own hands and target Rygg, who he had been sending nonthreatening emails since leaving the school.

Ell is on conditional release from jail and due back in court on December 31, Fox 12 Oregon reports.