A Chehalis man accused of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 12 in 2020 was arrested Monday on a $100,000 warrant.
A Lewis County Superior Court judge ruled to reduce that bail amount to $50,000 on Tuesday after reviewing the defendant’s criminal history and community ties, which the judge who set the arrest warrant didn’t have access to.
The defendant, Kaleb A. Hamilton, 19, was 16 years old when the alleged assault occurred.
The victim reported the assault to a guardian in April 2023 and Child Protective Services referred the case to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in May, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court.
Hamilton reportedly agreed to a deputy’s request to meet regarding the investigation, but Hamilton allegedly “canceled at the last minute,” saying “he was thinking about having an attorney present and was ‘working’ on getting one,” according to court documents. The deputy reported he did not hear from Hamilton again before Dec. 11, when the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office filed the case in Lewis County Superior Court.
A Lewis County Superior Court judge approved a $100,000 warrant for Hamilton’s arrest that same day.
Lewis County Jail records indicate Hamilton was arrested and booked on that warrant just after 10:25 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 8.
Hamilton faces three class A felonies stemming from the allegations. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson asked Judge J. Andrew Toynbee to maintain Hamilton’s bail at $100,000 as set in the arrest warrant Tuesday, citing the nature of the allegations.
“These are allegations of sexual assault of a child. They don’t get much more serious than that,” Jackson said Tuesday.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller, however, asked Toynbee to lower bail to no higher than $25,000 due to Hamilton’s lack of criminal history and his strong ties to the community.
Toynbee ultimately set bail at $50,000, saying that bail amount took Hamilton’s lack of criminal history and ties to the community into consideration.
“However, these are serious charges, and I believe the $50,000 is necessary to protect the community,” Toynbee said of his decision not to set a lower bail.
A no contact order protecting the victim is in place.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 11.
