Rapist sentenced to eight years in prison after victim identified him on 'Blind Date' show

VENTURA -- A Santa Barbara man arrested after a rape victim spotted him on the television show "Blind Date" was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Ulrick Kevin "Ashwah" White, 32, was convicted by a jury on Dec. 13 of forcible rape and false imprisonment. Superior Court Judge Kevin McGee on Thursday sentenced White to the maximum penalty after noting White isn't remorseful about the 2003 rape.

"He doesn't believe that he raped this woman," McGee said, adding that White choked the victim into unconsciousness. The judge said White has no "appreciation or awareness of the severity of his conduct" and called him "a danger to society."

The judge said the recording of a 911 telephone call from the victim's cellular phone during the rape was a powerful piece of evidence in convicting White, the judge said.

The victim is heard begging and pleading with White not to rape her.

"Anybody who has heard that tape recording will never forget it," the judge said.

The Ventura victim told police she recognized her attacker on TV and videotaped the "Blind Date" appearance of White, a handyman and private security guard. Her attacker had been sought since Sept. 6, 2003, when he allegedly approached the victim in a parking lot outside a Ventura bar as she was waiting for a cab, police Detective Russ Robinson said.

"He coaxes her into the car, she didn't really want to get in," Robinson said. "He initially headed in the direction of her home and then pulled off to a secluded area. That's when she started to believe that something bad was going to happen."/AP

Proponents say new brothel that may open in Nevada will be 'a good benefit to the community'

FALLON, Nev. -- Churchill County is a step closer to having a new brothel.

The Churchill County Planning approved a special use permit on Wednesday for the proposed bordello west of Fallon.

Financial backers of the brothel are David Houston, Kemp Shiffer and John Kirsch, all of Reno. They presented their proposal at the meeting.

Houston served as a defense attorney in the Mustang Ranch trial.

Nevada's Petticoat Junction would be a 20,000 square-foot brothel off the Carson Highway about 10 miles west of Fallon. The facility would have 20 bedrooms, four VIP suites and would employ 25 to 30 prostitutes.

"I think ... it can be a good benefit to the community and the tax base," Shiffer said during the presentation.

Others disagree.

George Flint, executive director of the Nevada Brothel Association, said the brothel is too large to be profitable in Churchill County.

"This is a nonviable investment," he said. "It makes no sense. It's too far removed from the urban areas. It's altogether too big."/AP