Benjamin J. Breitenbach, in red, is led into a courtroom for a bail hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Bail was set at $25,000 this afternoon for the Toledo resident accused of raping a woman this weekend he had met on a social media dating website.
Benjamin J. Breitenbach, 37, allegedly admitted to law enforcement to having sex with the alleged victim but said it was consensual, according to court documents.
Breitenbach was arrested after being contacted at his home about 10 p.m. on Saturday.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy responded to a call about 6 p.m. on Saturday and spoke with the woman who said the two communicated on the site Plenty of Fish and she went to his home that afternoon on the 200 block of Kangas Road.
She said she had met him on the site about a month earlier.
“(She) further explained she and Breitenbach had been exchanging small talk for approximately 10 minutes when he suddenly attacked her on the sofa,” Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Melissa Bohm wrote in charging documents.
He allegedly grabbed her breasts, twisting them causing a great amount of pain, and used that leverage to push her into an adjacent bedroom where he raped her despite her protests.
He left the room, she was able to depart in a near hysterical state and called 911, according to Bohm.
The sheriff’s office this morning reported the 41-year-old woman sought medical attention.
Breitenbach denied to law enforcement any kind of roughness, according to Bohm.
He was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with second-degree rape, a class A felony with a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Temporary defense attorney Rachael Tiller this afternoon told a judge Breitenbach is employed but she believed he qualified for a court appointed lawyer. Centralia attorney Don Blair was appointed.
Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher asked the judge to hold the defendant on $25,000 bail, because of the violent nature of the alleged offense.
Meagher said Breitenbach had only three warrants in the past, related to minor driving offenses.
Judge James Lawler agreed with the request but stated he had thought the state would have asked for a higher amount.
Breitenbach’s arraignment is scheduled for Thursday morning in Lewis County Superior Court.
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For background, read “Claim: Meet-up associated with dating website leads to rape in Toledo” from Monday June 5, 2017, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter