Victim a no-show; rape suspect released

A 36-year-old deep-sea fisherman who’s been in jail since May for allegedly raping a woman in Coeur d’Alene was released Thursday afternoon after the victim failed to appear at his probable-cause hearing.

Barry B. White, also known as “Bear,” was charged May 9 with three felonies, including rape, forceable sexual penetration and concealment of evidence.

The charges against White were dismissed at a preliminary hearing Thursday when prosecutors learned the alleged victim, a 39-year-old homeless woman, could not be found to testify against White. She had been released from jail, where she was being held on unrelated charges.

The alleged victim had been in jail since late May when she was arrested on charges of domestic battery in connection with a fight she allegedly had with her boyfriend while the couple stayed at the Coeur d’Alene Ramada Inn.

She also faces charges of petit theft for allegedly stealing beer from Harvest Foods on Sherman Avenue, and for an allegation of battery in a case involving an altercation with a student on the North Idaho College campus. Prosecutors said they will refile charges as soon as the witness is located.

“That’s the intent,” deputy prosecutor Jed Whitaker said.

White’s charges stem from an incident May 2, when police learned of a naked woman walking around after midnight at Cherry Hill Park. The woman was seen on surveillance videos after she removed a garbage can liner form a bathroom and wore it like a toga. When police found the woman, she accused White of rape.

Police said White rode a bicycle when he met the alleged victim near East Harrison Avenue a day earlier, and they shared cigarettes and drinks at a local bar.

White told the victim he was an unemployed commercial fisherman. The couple walked across town to a basement apartment near Cherry Hill, where the rape allegedly occurred.

The victim fled the residence on Crestline Drive after midnight without her clothing and hid in a park restroom while White rode his bicycle to look for her, authorities said. Video footage from a camera at Avista, across the street from Cherry Hill, and cameras at the park show the victim around 3 a.m. dressed only in a bra and socks, walking in the area. An image taken later shows the victim wearing a plastic garbage bag.

Investigators found the victim’s clothing in a garbage bin and said they have video footage of White riding up to the garbage receptacle on a bicycle and dumping the clothes into it.

Before his release this week, White, whose criminal history includes several alcohol- and drug-related offenses, was being held on $200,000 bail.

Whitaker said the victim also failed to appear for a hearing in one of her cases and that a warrant will likely be issued. Once she is located, Whitaker said, charges will be reinstated against White, whose whereabouts are not known.