A woman was allegedly drugged, held hostage and repeatedly raped inside a Spokane, Wash, self-storage unit at a facility near Spokane Community College. The victim told authorities she was homeless and met a man on May 22 in the Hillyard neighborhood, who told her he had a place for her to stay. The suspect led her to his self-storage unit, where he allegedly held her captive for three days before she was able to escape, according to a source.
After a bus ride to the storage facility on East Boone Avenue, the woman said the suspect took her inside his unit and closed the door. When the woman told the suspect she was cold, he gave her a cup of coffee and told her to drink it. She told police she believes the drink was drugged because the next memory she has is the man removing her clothes. She told investigators that she spent the remainder of her captivity in and out of consciousness, waking up while the suspect was raping her.
On the morning of May 25, the victim faked a panic attack and convinced the suspect to give her back her clothes, according to court documents. She then pleaded with her captor to let her get some fresh air. When she was allowed outside, the victim fled to a nearby bus stop where she borrowed a woman’s cellphone to call her sister.
The court documents indicate the sister took the victim to a local hospital where a rape kit was administered.
The victim told police she believes the man lives inside the storage unit because he had a recliner, hot plate and small stove. When detectives visited the unit, they found it as the woman described, but the suspect wasn’t present, according to a source.
Police located the suspect on June 1 but didn’t make an arrest. Detectives are waiting on DNA test results before administering charges, which could include second-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment, a source reported.
