Chehalis man Rafael Fernandez-Hernandez, 51, was sentenced to 13 years to life in prison Sept. 24 after pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree child molestation in August.
A fifth count of first-degree child molestation was dropped as part of the plea. Fernandez-Hernandez’s sentence includes lifetime community custody.
A lifetime protection order was entered on behalf of the victim in the case.
Fernandez-Hernandez was originally charged with three counts of first-degree child rape and two counts of first-degree child molestation on May 16. An arrest warrant with a bail amount of $1 million was issued that day.
Fernandez-Hernandez was arrested July 11 and made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court July 14, where his bail was modified to $300,000. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In a typed statement regarding his guilty plea, signed and dated Aug. 26, Fernandez-Hernandez said that he “did have sexual contact” with the victim — who was under the age of 12 — on four separate occasions between Aug. 1, 2024, and March 30, 2025, in Lewis County.
The presentence investigation report commented that “Fernandez-Hernandez used his position of trust, confidence and regular access” to the victim to molest her “on multiple occasions.”
According to the report, Fernandez-Hernandez was convicted of third-degree assault, domestic violence, in 1999 — his only previous felony conviction.
During the sentencing, Judge J. Andrew Toynbee held Shannon Fernandez in contempt of court.
According to court documents, the court concluded that “the actions of Shannon Lee Fernandez, both during and following the sentencing hearing of the Defendant, Rafael Fernandez-Hernandez, was disruptive to the order of the Court and the dignity of the proceedings.”
The judge ordered her to serve 10 days in Lewis County Jail. She was released the next day after she issued a statement of apology during a motion hearing.
The Chronicle previously reported that Fernandez-Hernandez became the subject of investigation back in April, when Centralia police responded to a sexual misconduct report within city limits.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, the victim had confided to a friend that she had been molested by Fernandez-Hernandez, but “asked her friend not to tell anyone.”
Her friend did tell someone, who then reported it to a relative of the victim. The relative notified police, and a forensic interview was completed in May.
According to the affidavit, police attempted to contact Fernandez-Hernandez at his residence, but he was not there. At the time, some family members thought he might’ve gone to Mexico.
Before his arrest, Fernandez-Hernandez had been working as a landscaper in the United States on a green card, according to his attorney, Ronnie Rae, who was hired by Fernandez-Hernandez after law enforcement first attempted to serve him no-contact orders in May.
