WSU student convicted of rape following party

COLFAX — A former Washington State University student from Camas was found guilty of rape Thursday by a Whitman County jury.

According to a news release from the Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office, Thomas Luke Culhane, 23, was found guilty of rape in the second degree and furnishing liquor to minors following a trial in Whitman County Superior Court.

Culhane hosted a party at his Pullman apartment Aug. 20-21, 2017, during which liquor and marijuana were served. The party broke up around 1 a.m., but one female college student stayed behind because she was too incapacitated by alcohol to get home. According to the news release, Culhane had sex with the woman.

At trial, 15 witnesses testified that the woman was obviously intoxicated and that she removed her shirt at one point because she was hot. According to the news release, the act was not sexual in nature. However, Culhane, who took the stand, testified the victim removing her shirt amounted to flirting with him.

Culhane is scheduled for sentencing May 3 and faces a minimum of 7 1/2 to 10 years, and up to life, in prison.

“The investigating and successful prosecution of this matter would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Pullman Police Department,” said Dan LeBeau, chief deputy prosecutor for the county.