UPDATE: Two Kirkland Restaurant Employees Plead Not Guilty to Rape Charges

UPDATE, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m.: Roland Kopp, manager of the downtown Kirkland restaurant Amici, pleaded not guilty in King County Superior Court Tuesday to charges of second-degree rape in the alleged assault of a 29-year-old woman at the restaurant early on the morning of Aug. 7.

Kopp, 33, is free on bail after posting bond of $250,000 on Nov. 18.

Christopher Michael Smith, 24, a cook at the restaurant, pleaded not guilty to the same charges on Nov. 23. He remains in the King County Jail in Seattle on $250,000 bail.

Kopp and Smith both face a case-setting hearing on Dec. 6.

Patch is atempting to contact Kopp and will update this story with any response.

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Original story, Nov. 18:

The manager and a cook at Amici Restaurant in downtown Kirkland have been charged with second-degree rape in the alleged assault of a 29-year-old woman at the restaurant in the early morning hours of Aug. 7.

Manager Roland Kopp, 33, and cook Christopher Michael Smith, 24, were charged Wednesday in King County Superior Court and are being held in the county jail, each on $250,000 bail. They are scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 29. Both are Kirkland residents.

Charging documents allege that the woman arrived by taxi outside the restaurant shortly after closing, at about 2 a.m., and was invited in by two employees. In statements to police, the woman said the two men locked the door and that while she was waiting for a ride, she was sexually assaulted first by the “older” man, despite resisting and saying no. She was then assaulted by the younger man, who had been present during the assault by the older man, "over the next few hours," documents say.

The woman contacted Kirkland police at about 5 a.m. from a nearby location, according to a news release issued Aug. 7, and in tears, said she had been raped by two men at a nearby restaurant.

In a search warrant affidavit, Kirkland Police reported that during their investigation at a restaurant at 7 Lakeshore Plaza, they recovered a pair of women’s shoes and a pink bra.

The charging documents also state the police detected and took samples of bodily fluids on the clothing of both suspects.

A person who answered the phone at Amici Friday and identified himself as the chef said both Kopp and Smith are current employees and that the allegations are false.

For an earlier Patch story about the case, click here.