A Longview man appeared in Clark County Superior Court Tuesday on an accusation he raped an unconscious Vancouver woman who was on the verge of death from a drug and alcohol overdose.
Ivan L. Pedersen, 33, faces a charge of second-degree rape at his Feb. 8 arraignment.
Judge Scott Collier set bail at $40,000. Pedersen plans to retain his own attorney because his income disqualifies him for a court-appointed one.
Vancouver police were called at 9:49 a.m. Dec. 27 to a residence in the 1500 block of Southeast Cutter Lane to investigate the death of the 29-year-old woman. That area is near the waterfront, just south of Pearson Field.
A police detective found an intoxicated Pedersen sitting in his underwear on a couch on the second floor of the woman’s home, according to court documents.
Didn’t wake up
The documents indicate Pedersen told police that he had consumed alcohol and cocaine with the victim at her residence. After she passed out or fell asleep on her bed, he allegedly raped her, the documents state. She didn’t wake up during the alleged rape, but he claimed she physically responded, according to the documents.
Under state law, sex with an unconscious person is considered rape because he or she is unable to give consent.
The alleged crime may have happened either late Dec. 26 or early Dec. 27, according to court documents.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the woman died accidentally from cocaine and alcohol intoxication. Her blood alcohol level was about 0.10 percent, according to court documents.
Pedersen is a registered nurse at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview. Randy Querin, a hospital spokesman, said Pedersen was still employed and had not been placed on leave as of 6 p.m. Tuesday.
But he said that the hospital had just received the information that Pedersen faces charges in the case.
The alleged victim, Kendra Peck, also was a registered nurse. She worked at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver. In early January, her co-workers were notified that she had died, Querin said.
Pedersen lives with his wife and children in Longview, according to documents.
Paris Achen: 360-735-4551; http://twitter.com/Col_Courts; http://facebook.com/ColTrends; paris.achen@columbian.com.
