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Havre man charged with rape

A Havre man is awaiting a new judge and his first hearing on a felony charge alleging he raped a Havre woman late last spring.

Howard C. Richardson, born in 1961, has requested a new judge to take over the jurisdiction, now under Havre District Judge Dan Boucher. The transfer of jurisdiction and date for an initial hearing was pending this morning.

According to the charging document, a woman contacted police at 9:46 p. m. May 28 and reported she had been raped by Richardson.

Richardson, when contacted by police, denied having any contact with the woman and said her allegations were false.

The woman told police she had contacted Richardson because she wanted to talk to him about the relationship he had with a mutual acquaintance. The two drove around for a while and talked, she said.

She said when they returned to his residence, which is fairly far away from any other residences, he invited her to come inside, and she entered the building.

He was showing her around his residence, and when they entered the bedroom, he pinned her between the bed and night stand with his body, she told the officers.

Richardson started unbuttoning her pants, and pulling her pants down. She kept pulling them back up while telling him to stop and repeatedly saying, "No, " she told the officer interviewing her.

She said he reached under her shirt and took off her bra and began kissing her face and body.

She told the officer Richardson offered her $100 to have sex with him, and told her no one would have to find out what had happened if she had sex with him.

She said he told her she at least owed him oral sex, and that she agreed, believing that would be the only way for her to get out of the situation.

After that, he asked her if she wanted to have sex, and she agreed to meet him at midnight, believing that was her only way to get out, she said.

She told the officers that she considered trying to jump over the bed and run, or striking him, but did not believe she could escape him or knock him out.

 

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