Spokane attorney Bob Caruso on trial in kidnapping, rape case

Spokane attorney Bob Caruso, who ran for prosecutor in 2006, is on trial on charges of kidnapping and raping a 22-year-old woman in 2014.

The trial for Caruso, 78, was previously postponed while he received treatment for colon cancer. It started Monday and is expected to last at least another week.

The victim in the case was in a car accident on Maple Street. Caruso approached her and told her he would take her to the hospital, turning away medics who arrived to treat her, according to court documents. She told police that instead of taking her to the hospital Caruso took her to his home and gave her alcohol and pills before handcuffing her to his bed and raping her, according to court documents.

A witness found the woman hiding in some bushes on Seventh Avenue wearing only underwear. The woman told police that she had escaped Caruso’s condo after he fell asleep, court documents state.

Caruso’s attorney, David Partovi, has stated in court documents that the sex was consensual and that his client is a victim of “malicious prosecution.”