Accused rapist’s omnibus hearing delayed

Port Orchard resident Richard Lynn Sauer, accused of forcibly raping a 20-year-old woman at knifepoint, will resume his omnibus hearing on Tuesday.

Sauer was supposed to have come before the court last Wednesday, but his lawyer requested more time with discovery documents. Deputy prosecutor Stan Glissen said because Sauer is facing at least 20 years in prison if convicted, he isn’t surprised the lawyer asked for more time.

“They’re being very cautious,” Glissen said. “They’re taking their time.”

Sauer’s trial date is still scheduled for Nov. 4.

Sauer remains in custody on a prior rape conviction. He is due to be sentenced on the first set of charges Nov. 8.

Sauer was convicted on Sept. 20 of first-degree rape with a deadly weapon and first-degree burglary with a deadly weapon. The charges stemmed from a June 15 attack on a South Kitsap woman in her Pioneer Way apartment.

According to court documents, Sauer, who was dating the victim’s sister, came to the victim’s home and attacked her, threatened her with a screwdriver and threatened to harm her children if she refused or made any noise.

The attack Sauer is now charged with allegedly took place in the Long Lake area in July of 2000.

According to the victim’s statement, Sauer threatened the victim with a pocket knife and told her to remove her clothing.

He then threw her on the ground and raped her, cutting her hair and back with the knife.

The victim had a sexual assault examination done at Harrison Hospital immediately after the attack.

However, the DNA samples collected from the victim were not matched against Sauer’s DNA until Sept. 13, when a forensic scientist decided to enter Sauer’s DNA into the computer to check for matches against unsolved rape cases.

Sauer is not, however, eligible for a mandatory life sentence under the two-strikes sex offence law.

A clause in the sentencing code stipulates the second attack must take place after the suspect has been convicted and sentenced for the first attack for the suspect to qualify.

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