Alaska News

Trial begins for Glennallen dentist accused of raping colleague

The trial of a former Glennallen dentist accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a female colleague too drunk to consent began Wednesday with opening arguments that laid out two scenarios of the night in question.

In one, prosecutors said Kevin Brent Shedlock, now 44, took sexual advantage of a woman he worked with when she was "vulnerable, vomiting and unable to stop him" after hours of drinking wine and tequila while staying at an Anchorage hotel for a 2013 work conference.

Defense attorneys contend the sex was "brought about by alcohol" but mutually consensual, and that the woman's regret and fear of Glennallen's rumor mill led her to report the encounter as a sexual assault.

Shedlock is charged with four counts of second-degree sexual assault, which is defined as "penetration of an incapacitated victim."

He faces a sentence of five to 15 years on each count, if convicted.

On Wednesday, Shedlock's attorney Wallace Tetlow said the married father of two, originally from Anchorage, worked for 14 years as the sole dentist at the Wrangell Mountain Dental Clinic in Glennallen, operated by the Copper River Native Association. He treated many of the town's 500 residents, including the woman who says he raped her. State records show Shedlock received a "voluntary suspension" of his state dental license in October 2013, after he was charged in the case.

The case dates back to the night of Aug. 25, 2013, when upper management of the Copper River Native Association met in Anchorage for an annual conference and board retreat. Shedlock and the woman were among attendees. Both were staying at the Embassy Suites hotel on Benson Boulevard in Midtown.

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Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed on some facts about the night: On Aug. 25, the night before the board meeting was to begin, some employees of the Copper River Native Association -- including Shedlock and his female colleague -- gathered for drinks at the Embassy Suites' bar.

Between roughly 6 p.m. and 10:45 p.m., members of the group drank, with Shedlock downing vodka-cranberry cocktails and the victim consuming at least four glasses of wine. Shedlock bought rounds of tequila for the gathered colleagues, including the complainant in the case.

Around 10:50 p.m., after drinking tequila shots, the woman became suddenly ill and ran into the bathroom to vomit.

That's where defense and prosecution versions of the night diverge.

Prosecutor Clint Campion described Shedlock carrying the woman out of the bathroom in his arms "like a child" and escorting her to his pickup, where she vomited again.

They returned to her room, Campion said, where she was "not really responsive."

On Wednesday, the prosecution told the jury the woman was too incapacitated to consent to the sex acts that happened over the following hours, until about 6 a.m..

"She was vulnerable, vomiting and unable to stop (Shedlock)," Campion repeated throughout his 12-minute opening statement.

Three days later, on Aug. 28, she lodged a formal complaint against Shedlock with Anchorage police. An exam performed 75 hours after the alleged assault showed swelling and lacerations to her genitalia, Campion told the jury.

Defense attorney Wallace Tetlow told the jury evidence showed the sex was "knowing, voluntary and consensual."

He described the night as an alcohol-fueled sexual encounter that both parties regretted in the morning, but not as rape.

Surveillance video showed the victim led Shedlock to her room, he said. She was walking and talking and "knew full well what she was doing," Tetlow said. "She knew that sexual acts were occurring and she was physically capable of saying no, had that been her intent."

At one point in the night, Shedlock returned to his pickup to get a generic form of Viagra after promising her he'd be "able to perform," Tetlow told the jury.

The defense attorney contended that the woman only went to police when it became clear co-workers knew something had happened in the hotel room and employment action might be taken against Shedlock -- meaning word of their encounter would go public in the conservative town of Glennallen.

"Glennallen is a very small place," Tetlow said. "It's a rumor mill gone amok."

The complainant, Tetlow said, did not want everyone in town to know she'd "had sex with a married man."

On Wednesday, the spectators gallery in Anchorage Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby's sixth-floor chambers was full.

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Shedlock sat at the defense table flanked by his attorneys and an investigator, wearing a white dress shirt and slacks.

His accuser sat in the front row of the spectator box, with women sitting on each side of her. She left the courtroom quickly after the proceedings ended.

She will testify, Campion said.

The trial continues Tuesday.

Michelle Theriault Boots

Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She focuses on in-depth stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers up and down the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

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