Man accused of rape appears in court

A man accused of raping an Eastern Washington University student in her Spokane home made his first appearance in court Monday.

Superior Court Judge Michael P. Price set bond for 20-year-old Kevin A. Thompson at $150,000, citing the seriousness of the accusation.

Thompson is also a student at EWU.

He is accused of entering an unlocked house on North Waikiki Road about 1 a.m. Thursday and awakening one of the five women living there. She unknowingly directed Thompson to the victim’s basement bedroom, where he is accused of raping her as she slept.

According to a summary of facts filed in the case, Thompson’s attack awoke the victim, who told Spokane County sheriff’s deputies that she felt excruciating pain and then saw a man standing by her bed. He then jumped through a window, breaking the glass.

Detectives found a hat and bloody sneakers outside the home and released information about the crime to the media and public. Those reports led to Thompson’s arrest.

According to the summary of facts, Thompson’s ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Renner, told investigators that he called her after the time of the attack asking for help, saying he had lost the keys to his car.

Renner said when she and her father, Tom Renner, arrived at the house where Thompson was waiting, she saw he had cuts on his face. He refused to get medical treatment. The three drove past the scene of the crime on the way to the Renner home, where they saw officers.

After stopping at her home to treat Thompson’s cuts, the court document states, Tiffany Renner drove him to his grandparents’ home.

There, the documents state, Thompson told her that the injuries didn’t come from a fight and that he “needed to be honest with her.” He said he had eaten hallucinogenic mushrooms with a girl he met at a bar and that he and the girl had been at the house where all the “cops were at.” Renner told authorities that Thompson said he had jumped through a window to get away from the girl when her face became distorted.

When Renner heard reports about the rape, she told her father, who called police.

Thompson said nothing during his first appearance in court.

Though nothing in Thompson’s past record indicates he is a flight risk, Price said bond should be set at $150,000 because of the seriousness of the crime and the potential threat Thompson poses to the community.

Thompson’s defense attorney said in court that Thompson is a football player at Eastern. But a university spokesman later told reporters that Thompson had tried unsuccessfully to walk on to the team and isn’t on the roster.