PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man accused of raping an unconscious woman at a party has pleaded guilty to attempted indecent liberties as part of a plea deal.
In his statement, Seth Lee Owens, 24, said he had “no real recollection of what happened” but that there was substantial evidence for prosecutors to prove their case against him.
He pleaded guilty in Clallam County Superior Court on Wednesday, and sentencing was scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 16.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin said the state is recommending Owens serve 45 months in prison with credit for time served.
Owens was originally charged with second-degree rape after witnesses told police he carried a sleeping woman from a living room couch to a bedroom and raped her in August 2016, court records say.
Owens admitted in a police interview in October that the victim was unconscious when he picked her up off the couch.
He told the officer it was the first time he had tried to take advantage of someone who was passed out and called it a “dark moment,” court records say.
A witness told police he saw Owens pick the woman up off the couch and carry her to a bedroom during the party, records say.
Shortly thereafter, witnesses went into the room and they saw Owens on top of her.
One of the partygoers who stopped the alleged rape took a photograph of Owens on top of the unconscious woman, according to the affidavit for probable cause. Witnesses said that when they confronted Owens, he had a “blank look on his face.”
During his interview with police, Owens “took a long look at the photograph,” records say.
Witnesses told police the woman did not wake up until after the alleged rape and didn’t know what was happening.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.
