Smithville man cleared of all charges in rape case

NORWICH – A Smithville man charged with rape and assault was cleared of all charges against him in county court Wednesday morning.

Stanley R. Whitman, 50, Smithville Flats, was found not guilty on all four charges against him after a two-and-a-half-day bench trial under Supreme Court Justice Kevin M. Dowd.

Assistant District Attorney Stephen Dunshee and Assistant Public Defender Lisa Natoli portrayed two disparate stories during the trial, in which the defense claimed the 48-year-old woman was the aggressor while the prosecution accused the defendant of rape.

After the verdict, Dunshee said he was “disappointed” in the decision and could not make further comment.

Dowd said this was his first non-jury criminal trial since becoming a judge and he commended both attorneys for their “excellent representation.”

Dowd said the case was originally a “he said/she said” type of case and found the accuser’s timeline of events “disturbing,” saying the defendant’s testimony was “much more consistent.”

“On behalf of my client, I would like to say there was a complete lack of physical evidence and in fact the physical evidence supported my client’s version of events,” said Natoli.