A 35-year-old Forks man was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison late last week for the second-degree rape of his former girlfriend.

Richard A. Dickinson pleaded guilty in September to the crime of rape in the second degree (forcible compulsion/domestic violence). Authorities said he raped his ex-girlfriend on March 7, 2019 after he encountered her on the side of Highway 101 south of Forks and forced her into his pickup truck.

Police said Dickinson then drove the woman to a remote location in Jefferson County where he forcibly raped her before dropping her off back alongside the highway.

The victim, however, recorded the entire incident on her phone and later returned to Forks, where she flagged down a nearby Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy for help.

Jefferson County Superior Court Keith Harper gave Dickinson a sentence of 170 months of prison during a hearing Friday, Oct. 16.

Dickinson — who had one prior felony conviction for bail jumping, and five prior domestic violence-related misdemeanor convictions — reached a deal with prosecutors to enter a pleading of guilty.

He had faced a sentencing range of 146 months to 194 months based on his criminal history, and the judge’s sentence of 170 months was the mid-point of the range. 

Dickinson faced prosecution by Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney James Kennedy as well as Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Sarah Woolman, who was prosecuting Dickinson for related offenses in Clallam County.

As part of the plea agreement, the state agreed to dismiss the charges in Clallam County.  

Judge Harper also ordered Dickinson to be on community custody for the remainder of his life, to undergo evaluation and treatment for being a sex offender, as well as for chemical dependency and domestic violence. 

Dickinson was ordered to pay $600 in fees and will be subject to the independent sentencing review board. He will have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life and was banned from any future contact with his victim.