{"id":12071,"date":"2012-04-24T09:02:49","date_gmt":"2012-04-24T16:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lewiscountysirens.com\/?p=12071"},"modified":"2012-04-24T10:44:36","modified_gmt":"2012-04-24T17:44:36","slug":"pe-ell-rape-trial-teen-answers-questions-from-defense-attorney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/?p=12071","title":{"rendered":"Pe Ell rape trial: Teen answers questions from defense attorney"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"012.0423.todd.phelps_2\"<\/a>

Todd Phelps, 52, speaks with defense attorney Don Blair during a break in the trial.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Sharyn\u00a0 L. Decker
\nLewis County Sirens news reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n

CHEHALIS – Testimony continued all day on Monday from the now-17-year-old alleged rape victim in the trial of former Pe Ell High School softball coach Todd Phelps, under questioning from Phelps’ attorney.<\/p>\n

Centralia lawyer Don Blair didn’t ask about the encounter last July between the two at Phelps’ brother’s house in Pe Ell until after lunchtime and spent only about 30 minutes on the topic.<\/p>\n

“One of the things you told us is Todd asked if you wanted to have sex, and you shrugged your shoulders,” Blair said.<\/p>\n

“Yes, he didn’t use those words,” the girl answered.<\/p>\n

“When your underwear and pants were off, you didn’t say no?” Blair asked.<\/p>\n

“I shrugged my shoulders,” the girl replied.<\/p>\n

Blair went on to elicit agreement that the teen had previously testified her former coach had once said if they did ever have sex, he would use a towel.<\/p>\n

“When you got into the bedroom, there was a towel on the floor,” Blair asked. She agreed that was true.<\/p>\n

“How is it you got on the floor?” he asked.<\/p>\n

“He picked me up and put me there,” she answered.<\/p>\n

“And you didn’t say anything?” Blair asked.<\/p>\n

The girl agreed.<\/p>\n

The attorney showed her a report from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and asked why Deputy Matt Schlecht wrote that she told him: “I never said no, I never said no.”<\/p>\n

The teen said she was talking to the deputy about what occurred on a couch before the two went into the bedroom.<\/p>\n

But Schlecht is asking about the time period inside the bedroom, Blair said.<\/p>\n

“After the thing started, I never said no,” the girl responded.<\/p>\n

She agreed she told a friend it was not rape, saying she thought that because she did not fight and scream.<\/p>\n

Some 30 spectators sat in on the trial yesterday that began last week in Lewis County Superior Court, only eight of them sitting in benches behind the defendant.<\/p>\n

Many of the witnesses have been asked to remain outside the courtroom by Blair even after they’ve testified, as he may want to recall them to the stand.<\/p>\n

Most of the hours of questioning from the defense attorney have involved who she told what and when regarding contact and communications with Phelps beginning in April of last year, as well as about her self-inflicted cutting, conversations about suicide and other topics.<\/p>\n

A jury of six women and six men hearing the case were told by the judge they should get to begin deliberating no later than today.<\/p>\n

Phelps, 52, is charged with third-degree rape as well as second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor in connection with encounters last spring and summer with the high school student.<\/p>\n

The prosecution is arguing Phelps is a man who gradually seduced a girl already troubled with low self esteem and depression. She has testified she’d never even been kissed before a kiss from her coach.<\/p>\n

Phelps, a log truck driver, resigned his assistant softball coach position at the end of April 2011 as he was investigated by school officials about “boundary issues” with the girl.<\/p>\n

Blair in his opening statements spoke of a coach who became close to the girl because he was worried when he learned she was cutting on herself and thought she might even commit suicide.<\/p>\n

Blair has told the jury he doesn’t know why she is saying these things about his client and Phelps at no time thought the relationship was inappropriate.
\n\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n

For background, read:<\/p>\n

\u2022 “Pe Ell rape trial: Teen testifies about alleged rape” from Saturday April 21, 2012, here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sharyn\u00a0 L. Decker Lewis County Sirens news reporter CHEHALIS – Testimony continued all day on Monday from the now-17-year-old alleged rape victim in the trial of former Pe Ell High School softball coach Todd Phelps, under questioning from Phelps’ attorney. Centralia lawyer Don Blair didn’t ask about the encounter last July between the two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,10],"class_list":["post-12071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-top-story","tag-by-sharyn-l-decker","tag-news-reporter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12071"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12076,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12071\/revisions\/12076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}