Lauren Dooley is accused of kidnapping and assaulting a man she met through Tinder in 2022, with a jury trial set for February.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — A Colorado Springs woman accused of restraining, cutting and choking a man she met on Tinder has pleaded not guilty, moving a case that began more than four years ago toward a jury trial scheduled for February 2027.
Lauren Marie Dooley entered the plea during a final arraignment hearing before 4th Judicial District Judge Eric Bentley. Court records cited by local news outlets list charges that include second-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault, menacing and false imprisonment. Dooley has denied the allegations, and the plea means prosecutors will have to prove the charges at trial.
The case stems from a Sept. 28, 2022, encounter at an apartment on East Cache La Poudre Street in Colorado Springs. Dooley, who was 22 at the time, had met the 21-year-old man through the dating app Tinder, according to an arrest affidavit and earlier reports based on the document. Police were called to the apartment complex that evening and found the man outside, injured and seeking help.
According to the affidavit, the man told investigators that he initially agreed to have his wrists and ankles bound with duct tape while inside the apartment. He said the encounter later became nonconsensual and that he told Dooley he wanted to leave. Authorities allege Dooley then used a kitchen knife to cut him and applied pressure to his neck with her hands and a belt.
The man also told investigators that Dooley threatened him if he called for help, according to the affidavit. Police said he eventually freed himself after Dooley fell asleep and ran from the apartment. Responding officers reported finding him in the parking lot and later documented a knife and other evidence inside the apartment. Those claims are allegations contained in the police account and have not been established at trial.
Dooley was arrested that day and later released on bond. The case has remained pending for years, with court proceedings marked by delays and previously scheduled jury trials that were later removed from the docket. Her attorney, Eric S. Anaya, said after the latest hearing that delays involving evaluations and court filings contributed to the length of the case and were not especially unusual for a matter of this kind.
Dooley appeared virtually for the arraignment. Her not guilty plea does not amount to a finding on the underlying allegations, and she is presumed innocent unless prosecutors establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The plea sets the stage for jurors to consider testimony, physical evidence and other admissible material concerning what happened during the 2022 encounter.
The case has drawn renewed attention because of the length of time between Dooley’s arrest and the setting of a new trial date. The central allegations, however, remain substantially those described in the original arrest affidavit: that an encounter that began with some consensual activity changed after the man said he wanted to leave and that Dooley then prevented him from doing so and assaulted him.
Dooley’s jury trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 22, 2027. Until then, the charges remain pending, and the prosecution’s allegations have not been proven in court.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 11, 2026.