Calif. man pleads not guilty to using Craigslist to arrange rape of ex-girlfriend in Wyoming

Marine pleads not guilty to arranging rape online

CASPER, Wyo. — A California Marine accused of using Craigslist to arrange the rape of an ex-girlfriend in Wyoming has pleaded not guilty to five felonies.

Jebidiah James Stipe of Twentynine Palms, Calif., entered his plea in Wyoming’s Natrona County District Court on Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Stipe posted an ad on Craigslist pretending to be a Casper woman and asking for someone to help play out a “rape fantasy.” Prosecutors say a Bar Nunn man, Ty Oliver McDowell, replied to the posting.

McDowell is accused of raping the woman inside her home on Dec. 11. He has pleaded not guilty to five felonies.

A U.S. Marine Corps spokesman says Stipe was being discharged from the military “as a result of a pattern of misconduct” at the time of his arrest.