A Centralia man charged with nine counts of child molestation, sexual assault and other crimes in September for allegedly assaulting a 10-year-old girl in April 2020 has been arrested on a $100,000 warrant.
The defendant, whose name is being withheld by The Chronicle to protect the identity of the victim, was 16 years old at the time the abuse allegedly occurred. He turned 18 in July 2021 and is being charged as an adult.
The Centralia Police Department became involved on April 22, 2020 after the alleged abuse was reported to Child Protective Services, according to court documents.
The defendant is accused of sexually assaulting the victim four separate times between April 10 and April 18, 2020.
A $100,000 warrant for his arrest was issued on Sept. 7, 2021 and he was arrested on Jan. 24, 2022.
While the defendant had no criminal history on his record, Deputy Prosecutor Joe Bassetti said during the defendant’s preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday that he considered the $100,000 bail amount set in the warrant to be appropriate bail going forward “based on the community safety threat.”
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller, however, argued for the man to be released on $50,000 unsecured bail due to the fact that he is 18 years old and is financially unable to post a high bail. She added that the man had no objections to a no-contact order protecting the victim.
“I think that should alleviate any safety concerns,” she said.
Lawler ultimately granted Bassetti’s request for $100,000 bail and issued a no-contact order protecting the victim.
The man’s next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27.
