Whatcom man suspected of raping woman he knew four times in past two months
A Whatcom County man is suspected of raping a woman he knew four times over three different occasions in the past two months, reportedly choking her before forcing her to have sex during the most recent incident.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Joseph William Morrison, 38, into Whatcom County Jail Dec. 8 on suspicion of four counts of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree assault. Jail records show Morrison is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail.
According to Whatcom County Superior Court documents, deputies responded at 11:35 a.m. Dec. 8 to Morrison’s apartment complex near Bellingham International Airport for the report of an assault.
Deputies spoke to the victim’s friend, who reportedly had been punched in the face by Morrison but declined to pursue charges due to the minor and mutual nature of the fight, according to documents.
But while deputies were there, the victim reported that Morrison had sexually assaulted her four times since mid October.
The victim reported she had stayed at Morrison’s apartment off and on over the past couple of months, but that they were never involved in a relationship, documents state.
She also reported that on three occasions, she awoke and Joseph sexually assaulted her despite her telling him “no,” according to documents.
The victim reported that during a Dec. 3 incident Morrison got on top of her and choked her before forcing her to have intercourse, document state.
According to the court documents, the victim showed deputies “significant” bruising on the inside of her legs and bruising on her neck she said was from that Dec. 3 incident.
Deputies interviewed Morrison, who said that the victim stayed at his apartment “sometimes,” that the victim would “probably say ‘their sex wasn’t consensual,’” and that the victim’s allegations against him were “bogus,” court documents state.
Deputies arrested Morrison without incident, according to documents, and court records show Morrison is scheduled to be arraigned Friday, Dec. 17.
