Charges were dropped in early December against a Lopez Island man accused of a late-night sexual assault of a female friend more than twice his age.

On June 8, Johnathan Michael Law, 24, pleaded not guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of second-degree rape by forcible compulsion, a Class A felony.

Prosecutors claimed that Law made unwanted advances that were rejected by the alleged victim and that he used physical force despite her protests to first subdue and then to rape her. The woman was at home and alone following a mid-May birthday celebration at a Lopez Village bar when Law, who attended the party, reportedly stopped by at about 1:30 a.m. to check out her cabin and the plans she has for it.

The woman reportedly told detectives that she was taken by surprise when Law became aggressive and that she recalls going into a state of shock as he became more forceful and she was unable to break free.

A Class A felony, second-degree rape by force carries maximum penalties of life in prison, a $50,000 fine, or both.

According court documents, Law acknowledged having sex with the woman, but claims that it was consensual. He reportedly told a friend that the two shared a kiss as he was about to leave the woman’s home and that the one thing then led to another.