May 23, 2009 in City

Riverfront Park scene of afternoon rape

By The Spokesman-Review
 

Some visitors at Riverfront Park this afternoon ended up as witnesses to an apparent sex crime.

Around 1:45 p.m. Riverfront Park security staff received a call from park visitors who said two 60-year-olds were having sex in some bushes, close to the playground near the old YMCA building.

“Park staff found a male performing oral sex on a female, and he immediately became combative,” said Sgt. Tim Moses with the Spokane Police Department. “They called us. His being combative was reason enough for us to detain him.”

The male turned out to be 53-year-old Terry Lee Thomas of Spokane. The unidentified woman is 27; witnesses told SPD that the two had met each other for the first time today.

“Both were extremely intoxicated,” Moses said. “Lots of people saw them and heard them.”

Some saw the woman push Thomas away and try to get her clothes back on, Moses said, but Thomas continued to pull her clothes off.

There were many people at the park Saturday afternoon.

“There were kids, grandmothers and wives all over the place,” Moses said.

The woman was taken to the hospital and Thomas was booked into jail.

Moses said Thomas will be charged with second-degree rape.

“Regardless of intoxication level, a no is a no,” Moses said.

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Four comments on this story so far. Add yours!

  • Gato on May 23 at 5:53 p.m.

    “A brazen sex crime”? Given the lack of a conviction, it seems premature to call this a crime.

  • George_Sands on May 23 at 7:23 p.m.

    I wonder if they were using them super secret spy camera’s they put in the park last year to keep surviellance on the July 4th Park Protestors?

  • misjustice on May 23 at 7:36 p.m.

    Why weren’t they BOTH charged with a crime? They were both indecent in a public place.

    Was she fighting him off while he performed oral sex or was she a participant? Not enough information to call it rape.

  • jmeckel on May 29 at 9:26 a.m.

    I wonder if they ever heard of getting a room?
    If she did say no then he should be prosecuted. NO means NO!
    It doesn’t matter how she was violated only that the person was violated.

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