A 36-year-old Kent man received a sentence of seven years and three months for the rape of a teen in 2020 in Olympic National Park.
Christopher James Kuna was at a gathering with family and close friends when he provided alcohol to the 14 year old and committed the sexual assault, according to an U.S. Department of Justice news release.
“It is hard to describe a more serious case than this,” said U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle at the Monday, Sept 20 sentencing in Tacoma. “The rape of a 14 year old. The facts are egregious. The victim has a life sentence and that cannot be changed.”
According to records filed in the case, Kuna was a trusted family friend of the victim and the victim’s family. During the evening hours of Aug. 24 and early morning of the Aug. 25, Kuna plied the victim with alcohol causing intoxication to such an extent that the victim vomited. Kuna then sexually assaulted the victim. Because he was more than 20-years older and much larger than the victim, the victim was fearful of resisting Kuna. Kuna told the victim he had been thinking about the assault for a long time.
A family friend assisted the family in making a report to local law enforcement. Upon realizing jurisdiction lay within a national park, local law enforcement referred the matter to the National Park Service Investigative Division who took over the investigation.
Kuna will be required to register as a sex offender following his prison term. He will be on 15 years of supervised release following prison.
The case was investigated by the National Park Service and the FBI.
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