Traveling business owner charged with rape in Santa Fe
Sami Edge Jul 24, 2018 Updated Jul 24, 2018 (…)
Santa Fe police issued an arrest warrant Monday for a traveling business owner they’ve been investigating for over a month on suspicion of sex crimes.
Redwolf Pope, 41, is accused of sexually assaulting women who appear to be unresponsive and recording the crimes, according to an affidavit seeking a warrant for his arrest.
Local police have been investigating these and other allegations since at least early June, when Pope’s roommates told officers they had found video that appears to show him raping unconscious women. The roommates also told police they believe he planted hidden cameras in his apartment in Seattle, where they sometimes stay, and may have also planted cameras in the apartment they share in Santa Fe.
A woman from the Seattle area also told police in that city earlier this month that she believes Pope raped her in a Santa Fe hotel room when she was visiting the area last fall.
On Monday, a Santa Fe County Magistrate Court judge signed off on an arrest warrant for Pope.
He is facing charges of criminal sexual penetration, criminal sexual contact, aggravated battery and false imprisonment.
According to the affidavit for Pope’s arrest, the woman from Washington tried to put the situation with Pope out of her mind until one of Pope’s roommates called to tell her they’d found videos of him having sex with unconscious women.
The tattoos of one of the women in the videos match those of the woman from Washington, according to the affidavit. When the woman was shown a screenshot of the recording, the affidavit says, she confirmed the tattoos match her own.
Lt. Michele Williams of the Santa Fe Police Department said the agency is working closely with the Seattle Police Department to investigate the case, since Pope is reported to travel frequently between the two cities and may have committed crimes in either or both.
The Washington woman told police that Pope, identified in other news media as a member of the Tlingit tribe of the Pacific Northwest, is well respected by the tribe’s elders.
In court documents, Pope’s roommates describe him as the traveling, self-employed owner of the companies MediaDojo LLC and Redwolf Law LLC.
A spokeswoman with the Tulalip Tribal Court in Washington state confirmed he has been a member of the tribal bar since 2013.
According to the TEDx Seattle website, Pope gave a talk in Seattle titled “Lessons of Courage from Standing Rock,” and is the founder of a business called Maru.
Pope did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
