LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. – Liberty Lake police arrested a man, Michael Martinez, Friday for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl in broad daylight at Pavilion Park.
Around 6:30 p.m. Friday, court documents state 36-year-old Martinez approached the teen in the park and asked her age. Documents said she told him she was 17, and he told her he was 40.
The age of 17 is considered a juvenile, but the documents state Martinez continued to pursue the teen. The documents said he kissed, groped and forced the girl to go into a park restroom. Once inside, he raped her.
She reported that she was too scared to say anything during the ordeal. According to the documents, witnesses described that after the incident, she was visible shaken and very distressed.
Martinez agreed to an interview with NonStop Local from inside the Spokane County Jail. When NonStop Local crews arrived, they were informed Martinez “changed his mind.”
“This is a very open park, and it would seem kind of like it’s like one of the safest places you can be,” Dick Svrluga, a Greenacres resident who was on a walk at Pavillion Park Tuesday, said.
Svrluga goes to Pavillion Park regularly with his dog for walks.
He told NonStop Local he was shocked to learn that something so horrific happened at the park.
“I think it’s just a little bit of a wake up call. And people need to be diligent,” Svrluga said.
Another park regular, Abby Doornink, a mother of two young children, told NonStop Local it is scary knowing that something like this could happen in a tight-knit community like Liberty Lake.
“I’ve never felt like my kids and I have been unsafe at the park. We’ve come lots of times to…visit here. So, it’s very concerning,” Doornink said.
Martinez is currently in the Spokane County Jail on a rape charge and on a separate charge of taking a vehicle without permission.
