Spokane police arrest rape suspect

Spokane Police have arrested a man suspected of raping a woman in a garage earlier this week. Paul T. Thornton, 34, is being held on $50,000 bond in the Spokane County Jail on a charge of second-degree rape. The rape was reported at 2:30 a.m. Thursday when the woman arrived at a local hospital for treatment, according to court documents. The woman said she and friends were on the front porch of a home in the 6100 block of North Lidgerwood late Wednesday night when a man rode up on a bike and introduced himself as “Paulie.” The woman told police that she intervened when “Paulie” began to assault her female friend, according to court documents. After her friend ran inside the home the man grabbed her by her hair and dragged her through an alley to a vacant garage in the 6300 block of North Astor, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her, court documents say. Police were able to quickly identify Thornton based on the woman’s description of his tattoos, including the name “Erica” on his neck. The woman told police that she repeatedly punched Thornton in face during the assault. Officers noted that she had several scraped knuckles and Thornton had a split lip when he was arrested, according to court documents. Thornton told police that the sex was consensual and that the woman had initiated the sexual contact, according to court documents. He also told police that the two had smoked methamphetamine together. Thornton’s criminal history includes convictions for trespassing, violation of a no contact order and unlawful imprisonment-domestic violence.