Kidnapping Suspect Blames The Teen Girl

A Spokane man on trial for holding a teenager hostage during a six-hour standoff with police said Monday the girl was “very much free to go” and chose instead to stay barricaded with him inside her North Side home.

Mark Kelley, 32, told a Spokane County Superior Court jury he had consensual sex with the 15-year-old girl early Dec. 3, after partying with her the night before.

When they woke up, Kelley said both were surprised to find “a gang of police” surrounding the house. They showed up after several of the girl’s friends reported Kelley assaulted them the night before and held them at gunpoint.

Kelley denied that Monday, telling jurors the girl flirted with him while he partied with her friends.

“We were having fun,” he said.

He is charged with first-degree rape, kidnapping and assault in the incident, which he said he exaggerated to keep police at bay.

During the standoff, Kelley told two detectives and a television reporter he was armed, had several hostages and intended to shoot anyone who approached the house.

“I was trying to make the situation appear as worse as I could,” Kelley said.

The victim, now 16, testified last week along with her friends, one of whom said he saw Kelley hold a gun to the girl’s head during sex the night before the standoff.

“That’s not what happened at all,” Kelley said.

When they realized police were outside, Kelley said the girl helped him barricade the doors and hide his gun. When he told her she should leave, she refused, he said.

“She said it was her house and she wasn’t going anywhere,” Kelley testified. Then she came up with the idea to tell police there were hostages inside, he said.

“It was almost like she thought it was a game,” Kelley said.

The case received attention last month when a Superior Court judge dropped the charges against Kelley over a violation of his right to a speedy trial. Judge Paul Bastine later reversed his decision.

Deputy prosecutor Carol Davis called her final witness Monday, and jurors are expected to hear closing arguments today.

, DataTimes