Oak Harbor man, 63, blames girl, 4, for rape

A 63-year-old Oak Harbor man admitted to raping two young children, but blamed his actions on the 4-year-old victim, according to a police report.

Prosecutors charged Richard Tice Sr. in Island County Superior Court May 2 with four counts of first-degree rape of a child. He's accused of repeatedly raping a 4-year-old girl and an 8-year-old girl.

Detective Sgt. Teri Gardner with the Oak Harbor Police Department started investigating the case last month after the parents of one of the alleged victims brought her to the hospital after she disclosed the abuse.

The 4-year-old child was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for a forensic examination. Gardner then received a report that Tice Sr. had also assaulted an 8-year-old child.

During separate interviews with the detective, the girls described the sexual assaults in graphic detail, according to Gardner's report. The older girl said Tice Sr. told her not to tell anyone and she was scared, court documents state.

Gardner wrote that she interviewed Tice Sr. after reading him his Miranda rights. He initially denied everything, but eventually admitted to raping the little girls, Gardner wrote.

"Tice then said, 'I play around. I'll be truthful,' but blamed (the 4-year-old girl) on initiating sexual contact," Gardner wrote.

In addition, Gardner wrote that Tice Sr. denied assaulting any other children, but another child in California came forward with allegations against him, the report states.

If convicted of the charges against him, Tice could face an indeterminate sentence of up to life in prison, with a minimum of 20 to 26.5 years in prison.

This article was originally published in the Whidbey News Times on May 14, 2011.