An Olympia man accused of molesting a 7-year-old girl he babysat in Chehalis in March 2023 was arrested on a $200,000 warrant on Friday after charges were filed in Lewis County Superior Court earlier this month.
Alexander Noland Carter, 29, faces one count of first-degree child molestation for allegedly having sexual contact with the victim during a game of “truth or dare” while he was babysitting her on March 2.
The charge is a class A felony carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The Chehalis Police Department began its investigation into the incident on March 28 after the alleged victim reported it to her mother, who contacted law enforcement, according to court documents.
According to the victim, Carter asked her to play truth or dare with him “but told her she had to keep the game a secret.” Carter allegedly “indicated to her that the dares were coming from his cellphone and because they were dares, (the victim) believed she had to do them,” according to court documents.
Each act of alleged sexual misconduct was presented as a “dare,” according to court documents.
The alleged victim “reported the game made her feel uncomfortable, but after, Carter would let her play games on his phone which she liked,” according to court documents.
The game allegedly occurred in the kitchen, where the victim’s mother “noted that there were not any security cameras.”
When contacted by law enforcement over the phone, Carter reportedly indicated he did not want to answer questions by phone but agreed to meet with law enforcement. He reportedly did not provide a physical address and law enforcement were unable to set up a meeting with him, according to court documents.
Carter’s whereabouts were still unknown when the case was filed in Lewis County Superior Court as of Aug. 1, according to court documents.
A $200,000 arrest warrant was issued that same day.
Jail records indicate Carter was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11. His preliminary hearing was held in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday, Aug. 14, where Commissioner Paul Strophy ruled to maintain the $200,000 bail amount. Strophy also approved a sexual assault protection order benefitting the alleged victim and set release conditions prohibiting Carter from having contact with minor children should he post bail.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 17.
