North Whidbey suspect won’t discuss assault

A 58-year-old North Whidbey man is accused of accused of forcing his way into his ex-girlfriend’s house and trying to rape her earlier this month.

Prosecutors charged Paul Ducken in Island County Superior Court April 10 with first-degree burglary, attempted rape in the second degree and assault in the second degree, all of which were charged as domestic-violence related.

Ducken pleaded not guilty April 23. His bail was set at $25,000.

Ducken’s 39-year-old girlfriend reported that Ducken forced his way into her Coupeville home April 5 and tried to get her to leave with him. When she refused, he got angry and told her he wanted to have sex. When she refused, he attacked her, according to a report by Deputy Lane Campbell with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman claimed Ducken threw her on the bed and tried to remove her clothes. She fought him and started to scream, but he grabbed a pillow and held it over her face until she nearly passed out, the report states.

The alleged victim told the deputy that she was able to defuse the situation by calming Ducken down and he eventually left.

Campbell arrested Ducken at his motorhome on Frostad Road. He wrote that Ducken admitted to using methamphetamine, but he wouldn’t talk about the alleged assault, the report states.

If convicted of the charges, Ducken could face up to nine years in prison under the standard sentencing range.

Three years ago, Ducken was charged in a similar case in which he allegedly broke into an ex-girlfriend’s home and tried to smother her with a pillow, court documents indicate.

 

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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