MOSCOW, Idaho-- Police arrested a Washington State University professor for allegedly having a long-term sexual relationship with female family member.
Moscow police took Andrew Appleton, 51, into custody Tuesday on a felony charge of rape. A judge set his bail at $100,000 Wednesday.
The 18-year-old woman told investigators the relationship started when she was 16, and living in California.
According to court documents, Appleton lived in Moscow at the time, but the two visited each other frequently.
The woman said she received counseling in the spring of 2010 after another family member caught the two in a compromising position. The relationship was not reported to the police at that time.
The victim moved in with Appleton in spring 2010. She said the two carried on their relationship and sex became a “way of life,” happening once or twice a day. The woman also said Appleton saved topless photos of her in his computer.
Court records show the victim turned 18 in 2011, and the sexual relationship continued.
At one point, the woman decided to report the relationship to police.
Court records show police recorded a phone conversation between the two on Monday. During the recording, Appleton said he left his marriage because he fell in love with the victim. The woman asked Appleton if he had unprotected sex with other women during the 2 ½ years they were having sex.
Appleton never denied having sex with the victim during the conversation.
Appleton is an associate professor of politics at Washington State University in Pullman, where he has been a faculty member since 1994. University spokesman Darin Watkins says Appleton has been removed from his duties and is no longer on campus.
The Moscow Police Department and the Washington State Patrol are working together to investigate this case.
Appleton's next hearing is set for October 3.
