Barton County Attorney Douglas Matthews called about half a dozen witnesses Tuesday in the trial of Steven Terry Jordan. The Great Bend man is charged with rape, aggravated burglary and criminal damage to property, all occurring around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2013, at a residence in the 1100 block of Morphy.
The woman who reported being raped was sworn in and described what happened.
She finished working a shift at the Zip’s Stop at 19th and Main and got home around 10:30 p.m. Her cousin came over and stayed for a couple of hours. After that, she got ready for bed and turned out the lights. A few minutes later, a stranger broke in.
“I heard footsteps on the front porch; I heard the front door being kicked in – someone trying to break in. ... I got up, turned the light on to find my phone and started calling 911. I heard the lady answer but I didn’t get to talk to no one.”
The call ended, she said, when she saw a man whose face was mostly hidden by the hoodie he was wearing. “I seen he had a knife in his hand,” she said.
“He asked if I had money and I said, ‘Who are you and what are you doing in my house?’ He came into the bedroom and told me to get in the bed. ... I was scared. I said, “Don’t hurt me.’”
She testified that she only saw glimpses of her assailant. After she was raped he covered her head with a blanket and told her not to call the police. When she felt certain he was gone, she found the cell phone she had dropped on the floor. She went out the back door, locked herself in a pickup and called 911.
She was cross examined by defense attorney Sarah McKinnon from the Reno County Public Defender Office in Hutchinson. McKinnon questioned inconsistencies in statements given to officers and at Jordan’s preliminary hearing in December 2013. Details varied such as whether she saw the door being pushed in or only heard it, whether she was ordered to lie on the bed or was shoved, and whether Jordan grabbed her phone or she dropped it, terminating the first call to 911.

Juror excused after recognizing witness

A juror was excused Tuesday after seeing the woman testify. The last name of the victim was not familiar, but once she took the stand the juror realized it was someone the juror knew, indirectly. The juror told the bailiff and was questioned by District Judge Ron Svaty, who determined others on the panel had not been affected.
There is still one alternate juror left.

Other testimony

There was also testimony from Great Bend police officers who responded to the call. Adam Hales, who was a patrol officer at the time, took the woman’s statement and saw the damaged door. The jury also saw photos.
 Debra Higgins, RN, completed the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) kit after the woman was taken Great Bend Regional Hospital.
McKinnon asked if the injuries Higgins witnessed could have been caused by consensual sex.
“Most consensual sex does not cause you to have injury,” she said. But she agreed, “There’s a potential, yes.”
Higgins described the woman’s demeanor. “She was distraught, in disbelief. I believe that she had fear. She was fearful – at times she would be shaking.” She also did not want to make eye contact.
Higgins said that to date, she has done 112 SANE exams. She described the woman’s reactions as typical, similar to at least 80 percent of those cases.
The jury also heard from the owner of the home where the incident occurred. Her tenant told her about the broken door after the incident. Asked if the door could have been damaged earlier, the landlord said she was told about it after the altercation.
Testimony is scheduled to resume around 9 a.m. Wednesday.