Woman passes out, rape alleged

By JESSIE STENSLAND
Whidbey News Times Assistant editor
August 7, 2009 · 2:53 PM

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A 52-year-old South Whidbey man is accused of raping a young woman after she passed out at a birthday party June 27 in Clinton.

Prosecutors charged Keith Pankau in Island County Superior Court July 6 with rape in the second degree. He pleaded not guilty July 20.

The 21-year-old woman drank alcohol and smoked marijuana before going to the party, according to a report by Detective Laura Price with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

During the party, the resident caught Pankau performing a sex act on the alleged victim while she was passed out on the couch, lying in a pool of her own vomit, Price wrote. The witness immediately went down the stairs and asked other people to remove Pankau and the woman from the party.

Later on, the alleged victim’s boyfriend went looking for her and found her lying face down in Pankau’s truck with her skirt up around her waist, the report states.

The woman reported that she couldn’t remember what happened. She went to the party with Pankau, threw up and woke up hours later when her boyfriend found her in the truck.

The woman said she felt pain that led her to believe she had been raped, so she and her boyfriend immediately went to the hospital.

Pankau could face up to nine-and-a-half years in prison under the standard sentencing range if convicted of the charge. A judge set his bail at $10,000 July 20.

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

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