Black Diamond man faces charges for sexually assaulting three teens

Man arrested in Kent; incidents reportedly with teens from Auburn, Snoqualmie and Oregon

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A 27-year-old Black Diamond man faces a federal complaint alleging a sex offense against a minor after federal attorneys say he sexually assaulted three teenagers from Auburn, Snoqualmie and Oregon state while on electronic home monitoring.

U.S. attorneys filed a criminal complaint on June 17 charging James Harrison Newcomer, 27, of Black Diamond near Auburn with travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor, according to an U.S. Department of Justice news release. The complaint stated that Newcomer traveled from King County to Woodburn, Oregon, to sexually assault a teenager in April 2024, with case documents alleging Newcomer had sexually assaulted two minors from Auburn and Snoqualmie.

Law enforcement arrested Newcomer in Kent on June 7, transferring him into federal custody on June 20. Newcomer appeared on June 20 in the U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Newcomer has also been registered with the first name Jake.

Newcomer, in the time frame of the sexual assaults, was on electronic home monitoring with an ankle bracelet following a 30-month prison sentence for two counts of rape of a child from an April 2022 conviction following a guilty plea, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to King County court documents, King County prosecutors filed charges against Newcomer in July 2020 after a Black Diamond Police Department investigation found Newcomer, age 24 at the time, engaged in multiple instances of sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl.

According to the federal complaint, Newcomer’s ankle monitor lost connection on Jan. 19, with corrections officers having found he left the residence when they arrived to arrest him.

According to the Department of Justice, between February and April 2024, Newcomer connected with the teenagers — ranging in age from 14- to 16-years-old — through Snapchat, a social media platform, and arranged in-person meetings where he provided the teenagers drugs and alcohol and sexually assaulted them.

Multiple local and federal agencies including the Auburn Police Department, Snoqualmie Police Department, Kent Police Department, FBI, Oregon Police Department, and more continue investigation into the case.




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