A Vancouver man is accused of kidnapping a woman he met online and sexually assaulting her in his pickup at the Gee Creek rest area Friday morning.
Joshua Ryan Dunham, 30, appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape.
Judge David Gregerson set Dunham’s bail at $30,000. He will be arraigned April 23.
The victim called 911 Friday about an incident that occurred shortly after 6 a.m. near Milepost 11 off of Interstate 5. She said a man she met online had held a knife to her throat and sexually assaulted her in his pickup at the rest area, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
She provided Vancouver police with a description of the suspect and his vehicle, as well as an address.
After the assault, he started driving again and threatened to kill the woman, she said. He eventually pulled over, told her to get out and threatened to stab her in the neck, court records state. Part of the incident was captured on the 911 call.
Dunham was later located at the address the victim provided.
He initially told police he met the woman online but denied being at the rest stop and assaulting her. He said he last saw the woman around 2 a.m. in North Portland, according to the affidavit.
However, witnesses, video and audio contradicted his story, detectives said.
Dunham reportedly changed his story several times. He eventually acknowledged being at the I-5 rest area. He said the woman climbed into the back of his truck to smoke. Afterward, he began driving her home, they argued, and he pulled over and told her to get out. He denied sexually assaulting or threatening her, court records say.
