Woman’s report of possible Kent rape at age 14 in 2001 too late to prosecute | Police Blotter

A 26-year-old woman reported to Kent Police that she was a possible rape victim in 2001 at the age of 14 by a man in his 50s.

But an investigation by police and their check with King County prosecutors revealed the statute of limitations had run out for the then-Kent man reportedly connected to the incident, according to the police report. That gives the man immunity from any possible criminal charges in connection with the events.

The woman told police during an April 15 interview that she finally came forward after a recent conversation with a friend about age gaps in relationships. She told the friend she had dated a man older than 50 when she was 14 and had intercourse with him. The friend told her she should report that as a possible rape. The age of consent is 16 in the state.

The woman initially contacted Seattle Police because when she looked up the man’s name on the Internet she found stories about him being arrested and convicted several years ago in a Seattle case. The man is serving a sentence at the state’s Monroe Correctional Complex for child pornography and communication with a minor for immoral purposes, according to the police report.

Seattle Police referred the woman to Kent Police because the incident she described happened in 2001 at the man’s Kent apartment.

During an interview with police, the woman said she had met the man through a website chat room and had about a six-month relationship with him in 2001. She said she kept the relationship secret from her parents. She lived north of Seattle at the time and the man would drive from his Kent home to pick her up and take her back to his apartment or his dental office. She said she had sex with him in his office after hours.

The woman said the man never forced her to have sex.

According to state law, a person is guilty of third-degree rape of a child if the person has sexual intercourse with another who is at least 14 years old but less than 16 and not married to the perpetrator and the perpetrator is at least four years older than the victim.

The woman still possesses an envelope from a gift the man mailed to her in 2001 for her birthday. The name on the envelope matched the name of the man serving time at the state prison in Monroe.

When police told the woman the statute of limitations had run out for any possible criminal charge, she said she understood. She added she didn’t know as a 14-year-old girl the sexual relationship would be classified as rape. She told police she wished she had said something sooner because she feels that could have stopped the man from victimizing others after her.

Charges against anyone accused of child rape can now be filed up until the victim’s 28th birthday, according to the police report. But that state law was enacted in 2009, eight years after the woman’s 2001 incident.