Grandson of former Virginia Governor accused of raping college student escapes prison time via ‘Alford Plea’

A former Virginia governor’s grandson took a deal with prosecutors in a Virginia courtroom on Friday that kept him from going to prison after being accused of raping a fellow college student.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Stephen Dalton Baril, 21, took the Alford Plea in connection with accusations of raping a friend who said he was supposed to walk her home from school, but instead took her to his apartment and sexually assaulted her.

With the Alford Plea, Baril was allowed to plead guilty yet still claim innocence of the crime. Further, his sentence was reduced from felony rape and sodomy to a felony charge of unlawful wounding and a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery. Judge Humes J. Franklin ordered him to serve five years of supervised probation.

“You raped me whether you want to hear it or not,” the victim said while reading aloud her victim’s statement. “You robbed me of feeling safe in a city I called my home.”

Defense attorney Rhonda Quagliana, however, indicated that she was confident Baril would have been acquitted of all charges should have went to trial. Yet, they still decided to take the Alford Plea with the possibility of serving 10 years looming over his head if convicted.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, the incident occurred in July 2017, and began at the Trinity Irish Pub, a bar near the University of (UVA), where Baril spotted the victim. The underage Baril, then 20, ordered the victim a shot of tequila, according to prosecutor Areshini Pather. He then tried to kiss her but the victim replied, “not in public.”

The pair left the pub together and went to his apartment. The victim told Baril that she wouldn’t be staying long. She used his restroom and when she walked out, Baril was waiting, in his boxers only. Surprised, she reiterated that she didn’t plan to stay long.

“Please don’t make this bad,” the victim told Baril, according to Pather.

When the victim attempted to leave the apartment, Baril stopped her and allegedly starting biting her breast and lip. She was eventually released and immediately went to a hospital for medical assistance. The attending nurse said that the victim had bruises on her face and injuries to her vaginal area.

Later, Baril sent the victim a text message, asking for forgiveness. He indicated that he got too carried away.

“I’m sorry if I got overly excited.”

Baril’s lawyer contends that the version of events described by the victim isn’t at all what happened on the night in question. The attorney intends to provide evidence and information that “substantively contradicts” the prosecutor’s version of events.

The former frat boy, who comes from a family deeply rooted in Virginia Republican politics, withdrew from UVA after the allegations. According to the Washington Post, he’s the grandson of the late state Governor, John N. Dalton, a graduate of UVA who served as governor from 1978 to 1982. Baril’s father, Steve Baril, ran for attorney general in 2005 but didn’t win.

[Feature Photo: Dalton Baril/Facebook]