Post Falls man faces rape charge
A Post Falls man faces felony rape and kidnapping charges after a woman accused him of forcing her into a car and raping her Saturday night.
Robert Alan Ashline, 41, pleaded with Magistrate Scott Wayman for leniency during his court appearance Monday, his voice cracking as he asked for time to prove his innocence.
“My whole entire life is being ruined because of this,” he said. “I want to get out of here, your honor, so I can prove this woman is a druggie.”
Ashline was arrested early Sunday morning after a woman called police to say she’d been forced into a car at Stateline Speedway, then raped in a field near the intersection of Chase Road and Harmon Avenue in Post Falls after she tried to escape.
According to a report from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, the woman had just left a restroom at the speedway when Ashline allegedly pulled her into a 1970s Chevy Camaro and drove away.
The woman escaped when the car stopped at a trailer, then she ran south on Chase Road, according to the sheriff’s report.
Ashline told police he had consensual sex with the woman, according to court documents.
In court Monday, Ashline said his criminal record should suggest he’s incapable of serious crimes. “Look at my record – I only have a DUI … I only have domestic violence charges a couple times,” he said.
Ashline’s record in Idaho includes several traffic violations and two misdemeanor domestic battery convictions, court records show. A representative from the county prosecutor’s office, requesting a high bond for Ashline on Monday, also cited a driving under the influence conviction in Oregon and two violations of a no-contact order in Washington in 2005.
Ashline said he’s not a flight risk. “These (charges) will put me away for the rest of my life if I don’t do something,” he said. “I need to start proving my innocence.”
But Wayman said the felony charges facing Ashline, coupled with his record, warranted a $100,000 bond.
Ashline shook his head when he heard the amount, then buried his face in his hands.