White Plains Man Guilty In Purchase College Dorm Rape Attempt

A White Plains man pleaded guilty to attempted rape and burglary in connection to an incident on the SUNY Purchase campus on Nov. 13, 2010, when investigators say he broke into a student's residence and tried to force himself upon her.

Dante Beamon, 26, of 105 Juniper Hill Road, White Plains, pleaded guilty to one count of first degree attempted rape—a Class C felony—and one count of second degree burglary—a Class C felony. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 2, 2011.

Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore believes Beamon broke into the SUNY Purchase on-campus living area at about 1:30 a.m. He then demanded that the woman living there remove her clothes and told her they were going to have sex, according to a press release from DiFiore's office.

After the victim demanded that he leave, Beamon choked her with an article of clothing before the woman was able to escape and alert authorities, DiFiore said. 

The defendant did not know the victim and was not a student at the school, DiFiore said.

Beamon left the building after the incident, leading to a manhunt on campus involving the Westchester County,  and Rye Police Departments, according to a press release. The defendant was found and arrested by campus police.

He was remanded to the Westchester County Jail after the incident.

Beamon originally faced five felony counts including first degree attempted rape, second degree burglary with sexual motivations, second degree burglary, second degree attempted assault and first degree sexual assault. He also faced two misdemeanor charges. 

A 2003 graduate of the Greenburgh Central School District No. 7, Beamon has been arrested before and is "known to police in Greenburgh," a spokesperson from the district attorney's office said when Beamon was