Newspaper Article

Former jail guard arrested on rape charges

Hannelore Sudermann Staff writer

2004

Overview

According to Whitman County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carol Laverne, deputies had been looking for [Howard Banks] to question him and later arrest him. On Wednesday,they learned he had left the area and taken a number of pills in an attempt to overdose, according to a Sheriff's Office report. Police issued an all-points bulletin out of concern for his safety and the safety of the community, Sheriff Brett Myers said. According to a sergeant's report, the Sheriff's Office was investigating a claim that a 13-year-old girl had intercourse with Banks at his home in February. The officer interviewing the alleged victim this week reported that the girl said Banks initiated sex with her at his home on three separate occasions, at least once in the presence of his wife. The victim believes he may have had contact with other girls, said the report. Banks is a former employee and those investigating him have no connection to him, he said. Banks had worked at the jail for seven years and had lived in Malden for six.

• Publisher: Cowles Publishing Company, d/b/a The Spokesman-Review
• Subject: Banks, Howard