A Winlock man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl and giving her marijuana in February was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison.
Bailey Dorning, 26, entered Alford and In Re Barr pleas to one count each of third-degree rape of a child and violation of the legend drug act on March 12.
An Alford plea allows a defendant to take advantage of a plea deal without admitting guilt, while an In Re Barr plea allows a defendant to plead guilty to a lesser charge as part of a plea deal, without necessarily stipulating that the defendant is innocent.
“I want to take advantage of the state’s offer — I believe that if I had gone to trial, I would have been convicted,” Dorning stated in a written guilty plea on March 12.
Dorning was sentenced April 9 to 24 months in prison, followed by 36 months on probation. A five-year no-contact order protecting the victim is in place.
As part of his sentence, Dorning is also required to undergo a sexual deviancy evaluation and complete all recommended treatment.
His sentence also prohibits him from having any contact with minors and requires him to register as a sex offender.
Dorning was originally arrested on Feb. 4 and charged with four counts of third-degree rape of a child and one count of distribution of marijuana to a person under the age of 18 after the victim’s mother reported the sexual assault to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office earlier that day.
The victim had reportedly “admitted to her that she’d been having sexual intercourse with Bailey Dorning,” according to court documents.
When questioned by a deputy, Dorning allegedly “said he thought (the victim) was 15 years old” and said “he should not have let her flirt with him,” according to court documents.
While Dorning denied allegations that he gave the victim marijuana, investigators reportedly found a text message from Dorning to the victim reading “you wonna dab or smoke some bud in a little bit,” according to court documents.
A deputy noted that Dorning “was nervous while speaking with (the deputy), with sweaty palms in 30-degree weather,” according to court documents.
