Nineteen-year-old Chehalis man Jashanpreet Singh, a store clerk at a local Centralia gas station, faces charges of second-degree rape and indecent liberties after he was accused of assaulting a customer in the bathroom of the Mobil Food Mart on Harrison Avenue.
Both charges carry a maximum penalty of up to life in prison and $50,000 in fines. They are considered strike offenses.
Singh was arrested Tuesday night and made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Wednesday. He awaits an arraignment scheduled for Oct. 2.
Singh has yet to decide whether he will hire an attorney or seek a public defender.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, on Sept. 23, a woman alleged that Singh, while working as a store clerk, offered to buy her a Sprite after she said she didn’t have money to pay for it. The woman told Centralia police that Singh then walked toward the rear of the store by the sodas, where he grabbed her against her will.
After the woman told Singh to “stop several times,” Singh allegedly offered to pay money in exchange for sexual acts, according to the probable cause statement.
“He then put his hands on her waist and physically pushed her into the bathroom as she continued to tell him no,” read the statement.
The woman said she saw a condom in his hand.
The assault allegedly continued in the bathroom until the woman was able to unlock the door, run outside and call the police. She was evaluated at the hospital.
When speaking to police, Singh allegedly said he purchased the Sprite for the woman, but “denied touching her or being in the back of the store,” according to the probable cause statement. The statement then listed evidence to dispute Singh’s claim, including surveillance footage and the discovery of a condom in the bathroom trash can.
During the preliminary hearing, Deputy Prosecutor William Halstead acknowledged that Singh had no prior criminal history, but said he resided in the country illegally. The prosecutor asked for bail in the amount of $1 million.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller argued for a bail of no more than $100,000. She also noted Singh’s lack of criminal history, and said that he works for family.
Judge Joely Yeager agreed with the state’s request of $1 million, citing a risk to community safety, a lack of community ties, and a risk of flight — as well as the nature of the allegations. The judge issued a no-contact order on behalf of the alleged victim along with an order for Singh to surrender any firearms.
Throughout much of the hearing, Singh communicated through an interpreter, though at one point he told the court, in English, “I don’t even know her.”
Tiller promptly asked Singh not to speak.
