Dateline to feature controversial rape case

| October 21, 2005 1:00 AM

The Daily Inter Lake

The NBC news program Dateline plans to air a story about a Bigfork teen rape case at the end of November.

One of the programs anchors, Ann Curry, was in the valley this week, interviewing people involved in the case.

It involves a 15-year-old Bigfork girl, Brianna Michlig, who said she was raped by two boys at a party in Ferndale.

Travis Reynolds was just over 16 when he reportedly had sex with the girl after the Bigfork homecoming game. County Attorney Ed Corrigan dropped charges against Reynolds, saying he was not confident he could prove a case against Reynolds, who was expected to put on a defense case that included Reynolds belief that Michlig, who drove herself to the party, was 16.

At the time he dropped the charge against Reynolds, Corrigan said witnesses would testify that Larson and the girl engaged in consensual sex, although the girl alleged that force was used. The witnesses, Corrigan said, would testify that Michlig was intoxicated, had engaged in nudity at the party, refused a friends suggestion that she go home, that upon being discovered having sex with Reynolds in a vehicle told another friend to leave them alone, and afterwards, returned to a campfire from the vehicle and sat in Reynolds lap.

I dont think a jury would convict him, Corrigan said.

Another teenager at the party, Patrick Larson, 18, was essentially convicted of raping the same girl at the same party.

Michlig made her accusations and her identity public, saying she wanted to let people know it was OK to come forward if they had been the victims of sexual assault. Normally, The Daily Inter Lake does not identify the victims of sexual assault.