By Raelynn Ricarte
News staff writer
Hood River Circuit
Court Judge Paul Crowley poured himself a cup of water and sat quietly for
several minutes before pronouncing sentence on Forge Dennis Milehman, Jr.
The courtroom was
filled with tense friends and family members of two rape victims. They
were waiting for Crowley to announce how many years Mileham, 37, would
spend in prison. He had been convicted following a bench trial of multiple
charges related to two separate sexual assaults.
Crowley, who acted
as both judge and jury in the trial, had found Mileham guilty of raping
Cheri Belander, 41, on Aug. 2, 2007, and Lela Cagle Hulahan, 49, on Sept.
11, 2007. Both victims have agreed to their names being published in hopes
of empowering other women to report crimes.
“It is easy in
this line of work — the criminal justice system — to become somewhat
desensitized, to a certain extent, to the people and issues we deal with,”
said Crowley.
“The evidence
presented in the trial, particularly concerning Ms. Hulahan, was certainly
sufficient to remove any blinders that I may have put on by doing this so
long.”
Hulahan had been
hospitalized following a beating by Mileham that cracked four of her ribs,
punctured a lung, and damaged her liver. She also suffered from
strangulation wounds and multiple contusions.
“I agree with her
statement that she was violated in every conceivable way,” said Crowley.
He then showed
Mileham a picture of Hulahan’s battered face.
“And you said that
she looked okay when she left the house,” said Crowley. “This was one of
the most graphic presentations of the brutalization of one person by
another person that I have ever heard in my life.”
He said Belander,
unlike Hulahan, had chosen to remain in her hometown following the attack.
Crowley said the aftermath of living in a small community could be worse
than the rape itself once it began public knowledge.
He said it was
difficult under the constraints of Measure 11 guidelines to adequately
penalize a convicted criminal. However, he put together a package of
consecutive sentences that sent Mileham to prison for 26 years and eight
months with no “good time” reduction.
The defendant’s
ex-wife made a statement in his behalf prior to sentencing. She said
Mileham was a “good and loving dad” to his three children, who would be
traumatized by his absence.
“I didn’t want to
not say anything and have everyone just think of him as a monster. There
is another side,” she said.
