Tracy McIntosh, the neurosurgery professor accused of raping a 23-year-old female acquaintance while under the influence of marijuana, will be tried March 15. The District Attorney's Office declined to discuss any recent developments in the case.
The "rights of the defendant always have to be defended," District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Cathie Abookire said.
Discussing the case in detail would jeopardize these rights, she added.
In April 2003, McIntosh turned himself into police.
At his arraignment in July he was charged with false imprisonment, indecent assault and rape.
In an earlier pretrial hearing, allegations surfaced that McIntosh drugged the alleged victim, now 24, with a sedative from his laboratory.
A hearing was held this past September, in which McIntosh's lawyer, Tom Bergstrom, argued for a motion to quash the charge that McIntosh drugged the woman.
According to Bergstrom, the motion was a success.
However, at the time, according to Assistant District Attorney Gina Smith, Judge Carolyn Temin agreed to continue the case to allow the state to present additional evidence regarding the drug issue.
A pretrial conference was held in December, at which point the trial date was set.
The District Attorney's Office would not offer any further comment on the outcome of the December conference.
McIntosh remains on leave from the University until the matter is resolved. The management of McIntosh's grant work has been reassigned to other professors in the department.
Shortly after he was arrested, Bergstrom told The Daily Pennsylvanian that his client would try to work out a plea agreement with the district attorney, but that the professor would not plead guilty to any charges of rape.
The court set a two-week period in the summer of 2003 in which a plea agreement could be reached. No such agreement was made.
Abookire would not comment on the likelihood of a plea agreement being reached at this time.
Bergstrom could not be reached for comment.
