A Clallam County Superior Court judge has set bail at $500,000 for a 58-year-old Sequim resident. The man was taken into custody at his home on an outstanding warrant from Virginia that accuses him of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl.
Deputies with the Clallam County Sheriff's Office arrested the individual at approximately 6:55 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25. The arrest occurred at a travel trailer located on Williamson Road, situated just outside the boundaries of Sequim. Following the arrest, he was booked into the Clallam County jail as a fugitive from justice.
The warrant authorizing the arrest had been issued by a magistrate for the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court earlier that same day. The charge is aggravated sexual battery of a child under 13, and the alleged offense is dated October 25, 2003.
During a preliminary appearance on Wednesday, August 26, Judge Simon Barnhart determined there was probable cause to hold the defendant as the individual named in the Virginia warrant. Judge Barnhart appointed the Clallam Public Defender to provide representation and established bail at the amount requested by the state. The defendant declined to waive extradition.
The Allegations From Virginia
To support a motion for probable cause, the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney's Office filed the Virginia warrant along with a summary of the police investigation.
According to the summary, an 11-year-old girl and her brother were walking their dog on October 25, 2003, in a park located near Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. McLean is a suburb of Washington, D.C.
The girl observed a man who appeared to be circling them near a wooded area. The man then approached the group, blocked her path, and uttered sounds she could not understand. He grabbed the girl, and she believed he was attempting to lift her. The police summary states that the man sexually assaulted her during this grab. Her brother kicked the man while shouting, causing the man to flee the scene.
The girl described the suspect as being between 20 and 30 years old. She noted he had a recent buzz cut and dark circles under his eyes, and was wearing blue jeans and a red sweatshirt featuring an insignia.
On November 13, 2003, authorities in Fairfax County received a law enforcement teletype from Camden County, Georgia. The message advised that the suspect had been arrested in Georgia following an attempted abduction of an 8-year-old girl.
The summary states that during an interview in Georgia, the suspect admitted to the McLean incident as well as incidents in other jurisdictions.
The summary indicates the suspect was charged in Georgia with the kidnapping and molestation of the 8-year-old. Police say he saw the girl alone inside a motel owned or managed by her father. That same week, he was charged with the kidnapping and molestation of a 2-year-old girl who was found alone outside in a trailer park.
Investigators were told that the suspect’s compulsions began in his early teens. He also admitted to an earlier assault on a girl at another McLean elementary school when he was a teenager.
The suspect was imprisoned in Georgia for the kidnapping offenses and was later paroled. In 2020, his parole was revoked after he admitted to returning to the Georgia motel where one of the offenses occurred 17 years prior.
Virginia does not have a statute of limitations for felonies. Aggravated sexual battery under Virginia Code 18.2-67.3 carries a sentence of one to 20 years in prison.
Held for 30 Days Pending a Governor's Warrant
On August 26, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tracey Lassus initiated criminal proceedings against a local man, citing the state’s fugitive from justice law (RCW 10.88.320). Simultaneously, the prosecutor requested a probable cause hearing, a request that Judge Barnhart approved with a signed order issued that same day.
During the initial court appearance, the judge outlined the defendant’s legal protections regarding his status as both a criminal defendant and an alleged fugitive. The public defender’s office was assigned to represent him.
In her ruling, Judge Barnhart ordered the defendant held in the county detention facility for 30 days. She set the conditions for his potential release, requiring either a $500,000 cash payment or a security bond. Should he be released, he must present himself for custody once a governor’s warrant is issued.
Additional stipulations in the order mandate that the defendant reside at his home on Williamson Road and limit his travel to within the state of Washington. He is also prohibited from interacting with or communicating with minors, possessing firearms or other deadly weapons, and using non-prescribed substances.
Because the defendant declined to sign a waiver, the Commonwealth of Virginia is now required to navigate Washington’s extradition procedures to secure a governor’s warrant before he can be transferred. An extradition review hearing is set for 1 p.m. on Friday, September 4.