Spokane Valley rape suspect charged with burglary, kidnapping

A sex offender accused of raping a Spokane Valley gas station worker in January is now facing additional felony charges.

The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday charged 37-year-old Michael D. Rush with first-degree burglary with sexual motivation and first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation. Rush was arrested Jan. 13 and initially charged with felony rape and assault.

Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies say Rush kidnapped a female worker at Zip Trip, 8215 E. Trent Ave., in the early morning hours of Jan. 13 and raped and choked her for about half an hour in the store’s bathroom. The woman was eventually able to trigger a store alarm on her lanyard, which resulted in a response from sheriff’s deputies.

In a recently filed affidavit, detectives learned that Rush acted as a store employee as customers came into the store and waited for several minutes for service. Each time, Rush either stayed in the bathroom and told them he was sick or that the store was closed because his wife was having kidney failure and needed to be taken to the hospital.

The victim told deputies she was choked to the point of unconsciousness several times, according to court documents. At one point, she attempted to lock the door as Rush exited to deal with customers, but five minutes before deputies arrived, he shouldered his way in.

While at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, deputies noted signs of severe choking, including blood pooling in the woman’s eyes. She also had bruising around her left eye and bruised gums.

“In my training and experience, I have never seen a strangulation victim with the severity of (the victim’s) injures,” wrote detective Robert Satake in an affidavit.

Rush was arrested as he was attempting to leave the convenience store. The 37-year-old successfully slipped out of his restraints multiple times, including when he was strapped to a gurney at Sacred Heart. Court records say he told deputies he ingested meth and heroin before his arrest, but deputies determined there was no evidence he was under the influence of drugs.

A recent search of Rush’s phone uncovered internet search history related to the sexual assault of women, according to court documents. Deputies also found 11 pages of search results for the term “necro,” the Greek prefix meaning death.

On Jan. 16, Rush’s bail was set at $750,000 by Superior Court Judge James Triplet. In court Tuesday, bail remained at that amount.

Rush has 10 felony convictions, including first-degree rape, second-degree assault and residential burglary, among other convictions. In 2002, he registered as a Level 3 sex offender.

On Jan. 11, he was released from Chelan County Jail after serving time for Department of Corrections violations.