A Tacoma man was charged in Lewis County with first-degree child molestation and second-degree rape after he was accused of coming into sexual contact with a female juvenile in Centralia a few years ago.
Alfred Gutierrez, 55, was issued a summons and appeared in Lewis County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon, where he pleaded not guilty to both counts leveled against him. He was placed on an unsecured bail, meaning he will be allowed to remain out of custody during the span of his case, if he appears to future hearings and follows conditions of release.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a 14-year-old girl told a Centralia detective Gutierrez touched her sexually. Documents go on to detail two alleged instances, one occurring sometime between January and June 2014, and the other in the winter of 2016. Both instances allegedly occurred inside a Centralia apartment.
The teen told the detective in November that Gutierrez touched her sexually and on another occasion began to attempt to have sex with her before she ran away, according to court documents.
During a preliminary appearance in court Tuesday afternoon, Gutierrez appeared out of custody, after being issued a summons. He was represented by Tacoma attorney, Carrie Fulton-Brown, who argued against a request from the prosecutor’s office that Gutierrez be given a $100,000 secured bail.
Fulton-Brown said the state had been aware of the allegations against Gutierrez for about six months before charges were filed, and argued that if prosecutors felt community safety was truly of the essence, they would have filed charges sooner. She asked he be released on his own personal recognizance.
Judge James Lawler gave Gutierrez a $20,000 unsecured bail, saying he felt it didn’t add up to issue a summons and then request a harsh bond.
Gutierrez pleaded not guilty to both of the counts against him, and a trial is currently scheduled for the week of April 8.
