A Centralia man accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl between April and May of 2024 was charged Thursday in Lewis County Superior Court.
A Centralia High School counselor reported the sexual assault to Child Protective Services, which referred the case the Centralia Police Department on May 17, according to court documents.
When questioned, the suspect, John Clinton Unterwegner, 44, allegedly “said he could not remember anything because he had blacked out from drinking,” according to court documents. He reportedly told an officer “he was in an alcohol class and trying to get better.”
Unterwegner was charged with one class C felony on Thursday, July 11.
The case was initially filed in Centralia Municipal Court but was dismissed and re-filed as a felony case, according to defense attorney Rachael Tiller.
Lewis County Jail records indicate he was arrested and booked into the jail on $40,000 bail at 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, July 14.
He had his preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday, July 15, where a judge ruled to maintain the $40,000 bail set in the arrest warrant.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, July 18.
A no-contact order protecting the victim is in place. Unterwegner’s conditions of release include provisions prohibiting him from having any contact with children or going anywhere children are known to congregate, such as schools and playgrounds.
