A former Multnomah County sheriff's deputy, accused of sexually abusing a woman while off duty, will spend no time behind bars and won’t have to register as a sex offender.
The woman to whom he apologized in court has nightmares and panic attacks.
It has been 18 months since, according to his plea, Dwight Richey "coerced" a woman into sex.
On Sunday, that woman, who KGW will call Claire, said the deputy raped her.
"I rejected him over and over and over and over and over that night," said the woman, who is not actually named Claire.
She asked to remain anonymous.
On Friday, the now former deputy learned his fate.
KGW’s news partners at The Oregonian were rolling Friday as Richey was sentenced to three years’ probation, part of a deal in which the 49-year-old pleaded no contest to one count of coercion.
It’s a felony, but it’s not a sex crime.
Richey originally faced nine charges, including second-degree sexual abuse.
As part of his deal, he will never work in law enforcement again.
His victim will never be the same.
"He smashed his lips onto my lips and I was like, 'Woah, what are you doing? Stop,'" Claire said.
On Sunday, Claire recounted how Richey raped her in May of 2017, while she was house-sitting for a mutual friend.
She said he also forced her to help him masturbate.
"I was sobbing. I was hysterical," she said.
Claire remembers that she froze. Fighting back felt impossible.
"He could have beaten me up, and he could have arrested me for assault," she said. "That's why I didn't call the police that night, because he is the police."
Or, following this plea, he was.
In court, Richey apologized to her, saying only "I'm sorry."
Claire said it felt empty.
The case was investigated by the Washington County Sheriff's Office to avoid conflicts of interest. The prosecutor came from the Oregon Department of Justice, according to the Oregonian.
She said she's glad the former deputy is now a convicted felon, but her feelings are mixed.
Claire sent KGW this statement:
Since May 11, 2017 I feel consumed with hopelessness, despair, self-doubt, disgust, stupidity, shame, and humiliation. I wonder if and when these feelings will ever go away? Going to trail would only extend these feelings and there are no guarantees as to what a jury would come back with.
My opinion of his sentence.
I wish Mr. Richey could spend some time in jail. Maybe then he would understand what it feels like to say “no, stop, and to try to run away” but still have his body violated and his feelings and tears disregarded like a piece of trash.
I’ve since learned that rape is the most underreported crime and now I know why. Basically, a woman is screwed if she doesn’t report and screwed if she does report. The predator denies it, blames her, and makes up lies about her. She gets humiliated over and over again and has to share her story with a bunch of strangers. In my case, my medical records, therapy sessions, and journal were all read by strangers. Basically, my heart, emotions, body and soul have been on display for all to judge and ridicule- for what purpose? Is it because predators want power and control? Is it because they think everyone desires them and they can’t handle rejection? There are no winners here. We are all losers.
His actions that night have changed the course of not only my life, but probably the lives of his family and his young children. His actions have tarnished the reputation of officers who choose to honor and respect the law. Going through a trial would probably extend my trauma another year and I would have to endure the brutal treatment from an attorney and have to relive the trauma in front of an entire courtroom. Dwight resigned from the sheriff's office in October and was forced to turn over his license- he will never work in law enforcement again! He is now a convicted felon.
On Sunday, she said she's struggling, but determined to move on.
She read a quote from author Brene Brown.
"She said, 'The only decision we get to make is what role we play in our own lives. Do we want to write the story or do we want to hand the power over to someone else?'" Claire said. "And I choose to take back my power. Mr. Richey's assault will not control my body or my mind anymore."
As part of the investigation, detectives also found Richey had multiple sexual encounters while on the job at the Multnomah County courthouse.
Prosecutors never charged him in those cases, saying they were consensual.
Claire said she believes Richey has more victims.
She hopes they come forward.