Out on bail, accused rapist pleads not guilty
A man accused of raping a woman in an interrogation room at Fairchild Air Force Base pleaded not guilty in Spokane County Superior Court today.
Michael W. Fassbender, 32, is charged with first-degree rape after a woman told sheriff’s deputies that Fassbender choked her into unconscious during an Oct. 20 sexual assault.
Fassbender was arrested but released from Spokane County Jail the next day on $20,000 bail. Deputies found blood on a desk and chair in an interrogation room at the Survival Training Center, and the woman had red marks and bruises on her arms, chest and legs, according to the affidavit.
Fassbender, who a public defender said has no criminal history, is an employee with SERE Solutions, a Spokane-based company that provides contracted instructors for places like Fairchild’s SERE School.
Also pleading not guilty in Superior Court today was Christopher Cannata on one count of posession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Cannata was arrested with Jonathon D. Marquiss, 32, in connection with a break-in at Kelly’s Custom Car Audio, 5518 N. Market, last month. He'd been released from jail because charges hadn't been filed in a separate burglary case.
Check out past coverage of Cannata here and here.