East Wenatchee man accused of rape

MOSES LAKE — A East Wenatchee man is accused of raping his estranged wife in Moses Lake over the course of three days.

Grant County prosecutors charged Johnnie Shaw, 52, of East Wenatchee, in Grant County Superior Court with second-degree rape and first-degree burglary.

On Aug. 18 the Moses Lake Police Department responded to Samaritan Hospital for a report of a possible sexual assault. The female victim told police that three days earlier her estranged husband, Shaw, had climbed up on her back porch in the 1500 block of South Monroe Street and entered her residence through an open sliding door, according to court documents.

She claimed Shaw wanted to engage in sexual activities with her and she initially agreed to it. She said Shaw started to become rough and repeatedly bit her, despite her telling him to stop.

“(The victim) stated that she had been forced to drink vodka over the past three days keeping her intoxicated so that Johnnie could have control over her and keep her from leaving,” wrote an officer.

The victim went on to state that Shaw forced her to take shots of vodka over the course of three days and that she had not eaten during that time period. Police reportedly found several bottles of alcohol in the victim’s residence. The victim told police she feared Shaw and that he had previously strangled her when they lived in Oregon. Shaw reportedly left the residence after the victim’s son showed up and told him he needed to leave or he was going to call the police.

Officers were later able to find Shaw and take him into custody for questioning. Shaw’s account of what happened between himself and the victim differed from what the victim told police. When Shaw was told he was going to be booked into jail, he pulled up his shirt and showed police several bite marks, scratches and bruising on his body.

“Johnnie told me that (the victim) could be aggressive and he didn’t want to get her in trouble. I told him that I would document the injuries and that if they were received consensually she would not have gotten in trouble. I explained that I was trying to establish the truth about what happened and it was problematic when he omitted something or lied about it,” wrote an officer.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.