Kidnapping, rape case nears trial
Ransom
SANDPOINT — A Blanchard man accused of kidnapping and raping a former girlfriend is scheduled to stand trial in 1st District Court next month.
Joe Frederick Ransom pleaded not guilty to the charges last month, clearing the way for a four-day jury trial that starts on Aug. 9. A pretrial conference on Friday revealed there was no agreement between the state and the defense to resolve the case.
Ransom, 53, is accused of holding the woman against her will in her cabin and forcibly raped her on April 22.
The alleged victim, 52, testified of her ordeal during a preliminary hearing in May and the testimony was convincing enough to persuade a Bonner County Magistrate Court judge that Ransom should be tried by a jury. Ransom invoked his right to remain silent during the preliminary examination.
The woman gave a harrowing account of how Ransom calmly informed her that he had been planning her slaying for several days and urged her to make peace with God, according to court documents. Ransom, she testified, was upset that she appeared to be dating another man after they parted ways.
Ransom allegedly backhanded her, punched her in the head, knocked her down, picked her up and threw her to the ground, court records indicate. He also allegedly ordered her disrobe and threatened to mutilate her with a pocketknife.
The woman testified that Ransom made her call family members to say goodbye and lie in bed with him, which is when the rape occurred.
Ransom, court documents indicate, left the residence the following morning to get breakfast. The woman told the court she left the residence once it became clear Ransom was not watching the residence, court records indicate.
Ransom remains held at the Bonner County Jail with bail set at $250,000.
Ransom was convicted of attempted second-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery and aggravated assault in Escambia County, Fla., in 1996, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison and was released in 2014, the department’s website said.