Pasco man jailed for drugging, raping woman

Police allege a Pasco man intentionally gave a woman too much insulin and raped her while she was incapacitated, causing brutal injuries that required emergency surgery.

A judge set bail Friday at $200,000 for James E. Bernhard, 37, and ordered him held at the Franklin County jail on suspicion of first-degree rape and first-degree assault.

Prosecutors have until next week to file charges.

Bernhard called 911 the morning of April 11 and reported the victim had a seizure while taking a shower, according to court documents.

Paramedics noticed the victim was bleeding and had bruises on her face and head, documents said. She was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center, where doctors rushed her into surgery due to the blood loss.

After the surgery, she told investigators that she believed Bernhard drugged her while she was sleeping, documents said. She is diabetic and the overdose of insulin induced a coma-like state.

The woman told detectives she feared Bernhard and requested a no-contact order, documents said.

Bernhard told police he gave the woman 10 units of insulin while she slept, didn’t mean to give her such a high dose, documents said.

Bernhard also admitted he went online to research the effects of an insulin overdose and found it can cause a person to pass out, documents said.

At first Bernhard denied knowing anything about how the victim suffered her injuries, but later changed his story, documents said.

“Bernhard finally stated that he could have blacked out from drinking too much alcohol and assaulted (the victim), causing (the injuries),” Detective Tony Aceves wrote.

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Pasco man jailed for drugging, raping woman."