Rape suspect arrested

The Daily Inter Lake

A Kalispell man was arrested on suspicion of rape Thursday as he allegedly prepared to board a bus to Texas with a one-way ticket.

Robert Daniels, 35, is charged with sexual intercourse without consent, aggravated burglary and witness tampering. The arrest warrant set bond at $500,000.

Flathead County Sheriff's Office detective Jeanne Landis said Daniels is accused of going into a home unannounced Dec. 30 and raping and assaulting a woman there.

The woman drove herself to the hospital, where she was treated for cuts, a bite wound on her face, and other injuries, Landis said. Daniels reportedly dragged her by the hair during the assault.

Landis said patrol officers "did a phenomenal job" investigating the case. The alleged victim said Daniels is a slight acquaintance of hers, and she did not even know his last name. Sheriff's deputy GW Schneider was able to identify Daniels and talked to him Saturday.

Detective Cmdr. Bruce Parish said officers "received information [Daniels] was planning on leaving town and taking a bus to Texas."

Landis and Deputy County Attorney Dan Guzynski were able to obtain a search warrant within hours.

"Jeanne has put in a lot of good time on this and worked very hard to make sure this offender went to jail," Parish said.

After the victim reported the alleged rape, Daniels allegedly contacted her and threatened her, prompting the other charges, Landis said.