A Centralia man is facing 20 felony charges in Lewis County Superior Court for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 12 between 2016 and 2019.
The man, identified in Lewis County Superior Court as Kenneth Douglas Gerdts, 35, pleaded not guilty to all charges on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
Gerdts is currently facing charges in Thurston County Superior Court stemming from sexual assault allegations involving the same victim that occurred in Thurston County between 2016 and 2021.
That case was investigated by the Tenino Police Department, which arrested Gerdts with help from Washington State Patrol troopers on Aug. 23. He was charged with six sexual assault charges in Thurston County Superior Court on Aug. 24, at which time a judge set Gerdts’ bail at $10,000. Gerdts posted that bail on Aug. 25 and was released. He has since entered not guilty pleas on all charges.
Officers with the Centralia Police Department arrested Gerdts on the Lewis County case and booked him into the Lewis County Jail at approximately 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, according to jail records.
Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler set Gerdts’ bail at $250,000 on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
“I’m not bound, certainly, by what Thurston County does,” Lawler said of his bail decision, responding to defense attorney Richard Woodrow’s request that Lawler set bail concurrent with the $10,000 Thurston County bail Gerdts already posted or release Gerdts on unsecured bail.
“We’re going to vigorously fight these charges, but he’s not able to help me vigorously fight these charges if he’s in custody,” Woodrow said Wednesday.
Lewis County prosecutors asked Lawler to set bail at $500,000, the same amount Thurston County prosecutors asked Gerdts to be held on for the Thurston County Superior Court case.
“The allegations here are (that) this has been occurring over the last seven years on a recurring basis,” Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Karin Phomma said of Gerdts’ case on Wednesday, adding, “The state is very concerned about the safety of the victim and any other children in this situation.”
In a brief argument ahead of Lawler’s bail decision Wednesday, Woodrow claimed the victim “made up these lies about (Gerdts)” due to an ongoing family dispute. Woodrow claimed the victim recanted her statements about the abuse in 2019 and then reported the abuse in 2023.Woodrow claimed that is proof she lied.
According to court documents, the victim initially reported the abuse in 2019, at which time Lewis County law enforcement opened an investigation. While the investigation was active, the victim did recant her statements, blaming a person who Lewis County law enforcement personnel have confirmed does not exist.
“Despite investigators and CPS doubting the recantation, the case remained essentially stagnant until 2023 based on the recantation,” according to court documents.
The Tenino Police Department began its own investigation into alleged sexual assaults against the victim that occurred in Thurston County after the victim’s mother reported evidence to the department in July of 2023.
During that 2023 investigation, the victim reportedly told investigators she recanted her statements in 2019 “because of how upset her mom and brother were” about the investigation.
During his argument on Wednesday, Woodrow claimed the Lewis County charges are duplicates of the Thurston County charges and argued the cases should not have been filed in separate courts, stating he intends to file “the appropriate motions” to get that resolved.
Deputy Prosecutor Karin Phomma responded that the Lewis and Thurston county prosecutors’ offices have had minimal communication regarding Gerdts’ cases and disputed Woodrow’s claim that there was an “agreement” between the two offices to duplicate charges against Gerdts.
All the charges filed in Lewis County Superior Court stem from crimes that allegedly occurred within the boundaries of Lewis County, and all the charges filed in Thurston County Superior Court stem from crimes that allegedly occurred within the boundaries of Thurston County, Phomma said.
Trial for the Lewis County case is scheduled to begin Nov. 13. Trial for the Thurston County case is scheduled to begin Nov. 27.
A no-contact order protecting the victim is in place.
