Woman Pleads Not Guilty in Awful Rape Prank Case

A California woman has pled not guilty to felony charges of solicitation of rape, solicitation of sodomy, and stalking charges after being arrested for a series of increasingly fucked up pranks aimed at a couple who bought the woman’s dream home.

According to reports 52-year-old Kathy Rowe put a bid on what she referred to as her “Forever Home,” where she could take care of her disabled daughter and her husband who was recovering from a heart attack. When another couple outbid her and bought the house, she was devastated. So she decided to play a few pranks.

The couple started receiving unwanted magazines, books, and junk mail addressed to a mysterious “Jacques Arse” (Bart Simpson would be proud…maybe). Rowe allegedly sent some very romantic Valentine’s Day cards to the couple’s female neighbors, from the husband.

But the pranks got pretty serious. ABC reports:

Rowe is accused of signing the wife up for sex ads online, including one she titled “Carmel Valley Freak Show,” encouraging visitors to drop by unannounced while her husband is at work, according to court documents. She allegedly told men who responded to the listings to push their way inside the home, and gave men the couple’s new address.

Deputy District Attorney Brendan McHugh gave far more grace details about these online solicitations, via Opposing Views:

“People responded to that Craigslist ad, and [evidence] at the preliminary hearing showed there was a string of communications from that initial response enticing men to come to her home, force themselves through the door and onto the victim, and have sex with her while she screamed no,” said McHugh. “Our victim was put in a position where she was in fear in her own home, and that’s not a position anyone should be in.”

Uhhh nope. Nope nope nope. No thank you. Magazines addressed to “Jacques Arse”? Okay, that’s annoying but whatever. Soliciting rape on Craiglist? That is not a prank. That’s not going to be a silly little embarrassing mixup. That is exactly what it sounds like: hiring a rapist. Luckily the woman was not attacked in her home.

A Superior Court initially dismissed the sex solicitation charges because he agreed that Rowe meant no harm, but the charges were reinstated. Rowe could face up to nine years and eight months in prison. Even more awful when you think of her family situation and how this all stemmed from basically a coping mechanism—not that that excuses anything. But of course, that sounds like a terrible ordeal for the couple that bought the house.

People, get a stress ball or maybe a video game console, or take up a hobby. There are much better ways to deal with disappointment and a lot of them aren’t felonies.