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Man held in rape case lived in city park bunker

A transient suspected in the rape of an 11-year-old girl had been living in an elaborate bunker in a wooded city park about half a mile from the house where police say she was attacked, authorities said.
A police officer on Tuesday breaks through underbrush surrounding a tunnel where a suspected rapist had been living in Olympia, Wash.
A police officer on Tuesday breaks through underbrush surrounding a tunnel where a suspected rapist had been living in Olympia, Wash.Tony Overman / The Olympian
/ Source: The Associated Press

A transient suspected in the rape of an 11-year-old girl had been living in an elaborate bunker in a wooded city park about half a mile from the house where police say she was attacked, authorities said.

Police said a man with a knife entered the girl’s house through an unlocked door early Monday and raped her in her bed.

David Lukas Lynch, 23, was arrested Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday if he had an attorney who could comment.

In the area where Lynch said he was living, police found a boxlike bunker fortified with wood and about 4 feet high, 4 feet wide and 12 feet long with a wood stove and several books. Investigators also found a knife that fit a description the girl gave, Detective Lt. Steve Oderman said.

“He’s got some survival-skill knowledge. ... He built this,” Oderman said.

Lynch told investigators he became a transient after leaving a rental house he shared with some roommates in December, Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad said.