Accused rapist Nikolas Clark arrived for his first appearance last week in Clallam County Superior Court. (Paul Gottlieb/Peninsula Daily News)

Accused rapist Nikolas Clark arrived for his first appearance last week in Clallam County Superior Court. (Paul Gottlieb/Peninsula Daily News)

Eleven rape, assault charges filed against Port Angeles man

PORT ANGELES — Multiple rape and assaults charges were filed last week against a Port Angeles man who met his alleged victim, a 24-year-old woman, on Craigslist.

Bail of $250,000 was set Thursday in Clallam County Superior Court for Nikolas Reinhardt Clark, 29.

Clark will be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Friday on 11 counts: a charge of first-degree rape-serious physical injury, three charges of third-degree rape, two counts of attempted second-degree assault-strangulation, and single charges of second-degree assault, second-degree assault-strangulation, second-degree assault-deadly weapon, assault in violation of a protection order, and first-degree burglary-remaining unlawfully in her house while armed with a deadly weapon.

The crimes allegedly occurred between Dec. 8 and 11.

Clark was arrested Wednesday without incident at his work place in Port Hadlock following an investigation, authorities said.

The woman said she initially had a “friends-with-benefits” relationship with Clark between April and July that began after she met him on a “casual encounters” forum on Craigslist.

The woman told police she had continued to see Clark for sexual encounters despite a no-contact order being issued against him Oct. 10 at her request; the order expired Dec. 12.

She told police in the probable cause statement that she continued to see other men and Clark.

She said she refused to have an exclusive relationship with him, and he grew increasingly jealous and violent.

During one incident, Clark allegedly punched her so hard that she thought her chin and nose were broken.

She went to the emergency room at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles. Doctors found no broken bones, according to the probable cause statement.

The alleged assaults described in the probable cause statement began after she returned to her home from work Dec. 8, according to the probable cause statement. “After coming home, Niko had come over,” the report said.

He allegedly began assaulting her after he looked through her phone and saw text messages between her and another man.

Between Dec. 8 and Dec. 11, he beat, strangled and raped her several times, she told police on Dec. 13.

He held a knife to her throat after she said she wouldn’t be his girlfriend, she told police.

During the three days, she repeatedly told him she did not want to have sex but he raped her, according to the probable cause statement.

She said that Clark refused to leave her home, which she would leave and return to despite the repeated assaults.

“I asked [the woman] why she came back to her house, and she told me she was afraid,” Port Angeles Police Sgt. Josh Powless said, according to court records.

“[The woman] was scared that Clark would kill her dog if she did not come back, or make things worse.”

Powless said in the report:” [The woman] told me she was nervous to tell me about the rape, because she had consensual sex first with Clark [when they first met], and then was assaulted and raped.”

During the three days, Clark took her phone and texted male contacts that she was in a relationship and couldn’t see them anymore, she said.

He also texted her boss that she had quit.

Her ordeal ended the evening of Dec. 12, when four friends came to her house, one of whom came to the door, she told police.

The friend asked her if she was OK and she told her, as Clark stood behind her, “No, yes, no, I don’t know.”

The friend told her to get in the car, which contained two other women and a man, and Clark followed the woman he had allegedly been assaulting, she told police.

At the car, Clark and the man who had been in the vehicle had a confrontation during which Clark pulled a knife, the woman said. The male friend responded by threatening to call police, and Clark left.

The seven-page probable cause statement released Thursday included a confession by Clark secretly recorded by the woman on Jan 27.

“[The woman] asked Niko why he thought it was okay to hit her so much and choke her and he replied, ‘I never thought it was okay,’”it said.

“[The woman] continued by telling Niko that he had sex with her and she said no.

“She asked Niko why he did it over and over again and he responded, ‘You know, I didn’t think about it logically, but if I think about it logically now, I guess I’d have to say, well you know, I didn’t have any respect for you anymore because you were out there sleeping with so many guys.’

“Niko referred to himself as ‘a piece of [expletive].’”

Asked if he regretted raping her, Niko suggested that she might be recording him.

She challenged him on why she would do that.

“Niko responded, ‘Okay, good point.

“‘Yeah, of course I do, regret all of it.’”

Following his arrest, Clark was interviewed at the Jefferson County Jail by Port Angeles Police Detectives Shane Martin and David Arand.

“After confronting Niko with facts of the investigation, he admitted to choking and raping [the woman] on several occasions,” according to the statement authored by Martin.

“Niko made statements consistent to [the woman’s] statements and corroborated what she told me.

“Niko could not recall how many times he choked and raped [the woman], but admitted that it was several times.”

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.

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