Bad music video leads to felony

Oak Harbor man accused of violating a no-contact order by sending angry texts to his ex-girlfriend.

A 36-year-old Oak Harbor man is accused of violating a no-contact order by sending angry texts to his ex-girlfriend along with a link to a video of a violent rap song, according to court documents.

The police report on the incident has the complete lyrics to the song “Dirt Naps” by the group Diggy Graves.

“So burn burn let them burn burn I ain’t ever tired. You gonna learn this is why you shouldn’t play with fire, get smoked, caught up and choked,” the song states.

Sean M. Rasmussen pleaded not guilty in Island County Superior Court Sept. 30 to intimidating a witness and felony violation of a court order. Both counts were charged as domestic violence crimes.

In court, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Eric Ohme asked the judge to increase Rasmussen’s bail to $40,000. He said Rasmussen has an extensive criminal history, including three previous convictions for violating no-contact orders and a pending charge for another court order violation with a different victim.

Ohme said the bail should be increased because the nature of the crime shows there’s a risk that Rasmussen would interfere with the administration of justice.

His attorney, Whitney Gardner, argued that the bail should be kept at $15,000 bond or $7,000 cash, which was set in district court before the case was moved to superior court. She said he has a strong family support system and has lived in Oak Harbor most of his life. She said he’s been contrite and thoughtful in conversations with her.

Judge Christon Skinner said he didn’t think the case warranted a large bail increase and set the amount at a $20,000 bond or $7,500 cash.

The victim reported receiving threatening texts from Rasmussen earlier this month, according to the police report. The report states that Rasmussen and the woman are in a custody battle and that the guardian ad litem told her to report the texts to the police.

In the texts, Rasmussen calls her a sexist insult and says he’s going to send her a video that’s going to “ruin what’s to happen.” He then sent her a link to the music video.

Afterward, the woman told him to leave her alone and he responded, “I’ll hear that again from you. In person. I promise.”

If convicted of the charges against him, Rasmussen could face from 22 to 29 months in prison under the standard sentencing range.