Missoula Man Found Guilty of Rape Late Friday
After deliberating for about three hours on Friday, a jury found 30 year-old Shane Pelletier of Missoula guilty of one count of sexual intercourse without consent.
Deputy Missoula County Attorney Brian Lowney was the prosecutor in the case and described what happened that led to the charges.
“The facts of the case largely centered around Mr. Pelletier finding a woman downtown who was very intoxicated passed out in a parking garage downtown,” said Lowney. “He took her back to his apartment and had sex with her while she was unconscious. The facts as we presented them, I think were enough to convince the jury. He gave several different accounts of what he said was consensual sex, but the victim gave a consistent account of what was a non-consensual rape.”
Lowney said the testimony of the victim was the primary reason the jury found Pelletier guilty of sexual intercourse without consent.
“I think the victim’s testimony about what happened was the biggest piece of evidence,” he said. “Generally in these cases, juries believe the victim and that’s how the verdict turned out. She was very credible and I think the jury was impressed by what she had to say.”
Lowney said the maximum penalty for felony sexual intercourse without consent is from 100 years to life in the Montana State Prison, but ultimately, he said the sentence would be up to the judge.