Man arrested in Olympia rape case

A transient man in his mid-30s was arrested and booked into Thurston County Jail on Friday night on suspicion of rape, according to Olympia police.

A woman reported that she had been attacked Sept. 17 in the 3200 block of Martin Way, police Sgt. Jim Partin said.

“She did receive a pretty severe injury,” Partin said.

The woman gave a description of the alleged attacker, and a search warrant was served on the suspect’s tent Friday night, he said.

Originally, detectives thought the case could have been linked to an attack earlier this month, involving a man who allegedly struck a woman in the back of the head with an aluminum baseball bat while she was walking along the Chehalis Western Trail, Partin said.

“It is not associated with that one,” he said. “The two detective groups have already checked that out.”

The rape case is still under investigation, and no other information could be released, Partin said.

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Man arrested in Olympia rape case."