Former MSU student found guilty in 1 of 2 rape charges in Clinton, Ingham counties

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP — A former Michigan State student is facing charges in connection with two separate rapes in Ingham and Clinton counties. 

A Clinton County jury found Wei Dong, 21, guilty on Friday of two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct for sexually assaulting a woman in Bath Township. 

The woman, an MSU graduate, testified at a preliminary hearing that she had woken up with Dong on top of her at a friend's birthday party in late October 2017. She tried to push him off, she testified, but said she felt like she wasn't strong enough to do so.

Dong's attorney, Andrew Abood, did not respond for comment Monday. In Clinton County court records, Abood indicated Dong had been an MSU student at the time of the alleged sex assaults. 

Dong is set to be sentenced in Clinton County in February. Third-degree criminal sexual conduct is punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison. 

In Ingham County, Dong is facing one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct during a felony in connection with a rape and assault by strangulation, according to court records. 

Charges say he raped a woman in a Meridian Township apartment in November 2017. He has a preliminary hearing for this charge on Thursday, where a judge will decide is there is enough evidence to send the case to trial. He faces up to life in prison on this charge. 

Contact Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.