The victim in the case was a 22-year-old woman who missed her flight to Illinois, where she was scheduled to interview for a job at a convent, and didn't have enough money to spend the night at a hotel. She struck up a conversation with Bertrand at an airport bar, and when it closed, she headed to her gate. Bertrand followed her there and allegedly attacked, reportedly banging her head against the floor and raping her from behind.
The actual assault wasn't captured by surveillance footage obtained by CBS4, but it does show custodial workers strolling past the gate in question. One woman can be seen pausing, then moving on. They're said to have alerted security -- but two Frontier workers came upon the scene first and intervened before cops arrived. Bertrand's response? He's quoted as saying, "Don't you know the difference between rough sex and fighting?"
That's a question he's presumably considering from behind bars. He's still in stir on a $50,000 bond and is expected to appear in court tomorrow, April 21, to be formally advised of the charge against him. Look below to see CBS4's report, followed by our previous coverage.
New photo below, 2:06 p.m. April 14: A 22-year-old Oregon woman was reportedly en route to a job interview at a convent in Illinois when she missed her connecting flight at Denver International Airport -- and because she didn't have enough money to stay at a hotel, she decided to spend the night at DIA. Little did she know the evening would end with her rape, allegedly by Noel Alexandre Bertrand, inside a concourse -- a crime at least two witnesses are said to have ignored.
The woman told reporters she met Bertrand at Chef Jimmy's Italian Bistro and Spirits on Concourse A. Everything seemed fine at first -- but when the bistro closed, he followed her down an escalator and asked for a kiss. When she told him no, she says he forced a lip-lock anyway, then lifted her by her own sweat shirt and slammed her to the airport floor before beginning to sexually assault her from behind.
This horror show wasn't over quickly. By her estimate, it continued for ten minutes, during which time a couple of people she guesses were part of a janitorial crew strolled past down the otherwise deserted concourse but did nothing to stop the attack.Finally, airport personnel saw what was happening through a window and called the cops. They soon arrested Bertrand, who's from Portland and claimed to be an ex-Marine. This assertion is backed up by Leatherneck, a Marine-centric magazine that lists a corporal from Portland by the same name who served in such far-flung locations as Ireland and Venezuela.
Bertrand's latest tour has taken him to Denver jail, where a $10,000 bond was placed upon him.
Update, 2:06 p.m. April 14: The Denver Police Department has released Noel Alexander Bertrand's booking photo, giving us our first look at the suspect. Here it is, followed by a Fox31 report about the assault.
More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "Wes Specht: Sex assault bust for 'Wild Man' Alameda High coach, 3 staffers put on leave."
