.png.jpg)
A man accused of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16 while she was drunk in Centralia last July was arrested Tuesday on felony charges.
Jacob Adam Harris, 36, of Centralia, was charged Tuesday, Sept. 3, in Lewis County Superior Court with two counts of second-degree rape, one count of third-degree rape of a child and one count of third-degree child molestation after the victim’s mother reported the sexual assault to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, Sept. 2.
Bail is set at $200,000.
The sexual assault took place on July 8, according to court documents.
In an interview with law enforcement, the victim reported she was drinking whiskey and vodka at Harris’ Centralia residence the afternoon of July 8 when, after a few hours, she “didn’t feel well,” went to the bathroom to vomit and subsequently “blacked out.”
She said she recalled “Harris coming into the bathroom and throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her” into an unoccupied bedroom in the house. Harris then allegedly raped the victim.
When the victim later woke up, Harris allegedly “came into the room and said he didn’t want anything to be awkward between them, and if she was ‘down to do any of this again, he was down,’” according to court documents.
Harris then reportedly began “apologizing for his actions” in Facebook messages to the victim a few weeks later. Screenshots of the messages were given to investigators.
When questioned, Harris allegedly “stated he did not know where all of this was coming from” and said “he had been drinking that night and does not remember a lot of what happened,” according to court documents.
Harris allegedly admitted to picking the victim up from the bathroom floor, where she was “hunched over the toilet, sleeping,” and carrying her to a bedroom before going back to his own bed.
He allegedly said “he did message (the victim) apologizing, but he was just apologizing, he did not know what he did,” according to court documents.
The victim’s mother told investigators she called Harris immediately after calling the sheriff’s office on Sept. 2, “and all Harris could say (was) ‘sorry,’” according to court documents.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12.
In addition to approving the prosecution’s request for high bail, Judge Joely Yeager added a provision to Harris’ conditions of release prohibiting him from having contact with any children, including his own biological children. He is also prohibited from going anywhere children are known to congregate, such as parks or schools.
A no-contact order protecting the victim is in place.
