A man accused of raping a woman in Whitefish last summer was expected to go to trial this week but a scheduling conflict has pushed it back to March.
Eric Cordova is now expected to go to trial on March 21. The trial is expected to take four days.
Cordova came to Whitefish last year to play baseball for the now-defunct Glacier Outlaws, an upstart team in the Mount Rainier Professional Baseball League.
According to court records, Cordova was at a bar in downtown Whitefish with a friend on the night of May 24 when they met two women. After a few drinks, one of the women invited Cordova’s friend back to her home and all four people left the bar. At the home, the second woman went into her room, shut the door and went to sleep fully clothed. Court records state that she made it clear she was not interested in Cordova that night.
The woman woke up and her pants were pulled down and Cordova was having sex with her, according to court records. The woman slapped Cordova and began to scream that she was being raped. The two other people were just outside the home and told police officers they heard her scream.
The woman called 911. When Flathead County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home, Cordova was present, as well the woman and the two others. The woman was taken to the hospital where a forensic exam was administered. Cordova was taken to the Flathead County Detention Center where he allegedly acknowledged that he had gotten into bed with the woman after she went to sleep.
Cordova pleaded not guilty in June. If convicted, Cordova faces fines up to $50,000 and 100 years in prison.