Juneau man pleads no contest to rape charge

A man accused of brutally raping and beating a woman while holding her captive in an abandoned downtown house in April pleaded no contest today to a charge of felony sexual assault.

• Photos

As part of a plea-bargain agreement with Donald Seaman, 46, the state dropped several charges from the original indictment, including two counts of burglary and one count each of kidnapping and assault, all of which are felonies.

The agreement did not include terms of Seaman's sentence. Superior Court Judge Larry Weeks scheduled a sentencing hearing for Feb. 27.

The maximum penalty for rape is 30 years in prison, but Seaman can get no less than 15 years because of his prior felony convictions.

District Attorney Rick Svobodny said the state agreed to the plea bargain because it guaranteed Seaman would get time in prison.

"This way we know he gets convicted," he said. "When you leave it up to 12 different people in a jury there's always the chance he won't. ... We spoke with the victim's father who agreed for her to let us make the agreement."

Svobodny said the woman Seaman attacked was in the hospital recently. He wouldn't say whether it was directly related to injuries sustained during the assault, but said she does have "long-term injuries" as a result of the attack.

Darrel Gardener, public defender for Seaman, would not comment on the case until sentencing.

In April, Seaman was arrested after a woman, 46, came to the back door of the Glory Hole downtown, bleeding, saying a man named "Don" attacked her, according to law enforcement documents.

Assistant District Attorney Sue McLean, in an affidavit, said that on April 14 Seaman led the woman to a vacant house on Decker Way where he forced her to have sex with him and repeatedly beat her. The next morning she was able to escape and get help.

McLean said the victim sustained a perforated bowel from the attack.

Melanie Plenda can be reached at mplenda@juneauempire.com.