A Lewis County man is facing eight felony sexual assault charges for allegedly assaulting a young child in his care.
The defendant, whose name is being withheld by The Chronicle to protect the identity of the victim, was arrested on June 28 after the victim’s mother reported the ongoing abuse.
The defendant is 32 and the victim is under the age of 10.
He has been charged with four counts each of first-degree rape of a child and first-degree incest.
Given the defendant’s lack of prior felony history, defense attorney Rachael Tiller asked Judge Joely A. O’Rourke to grant the defendant unsecured bail, meaning he would be released from jail, or to set bail no higher than $10,000.
Tiller also requested the defendant be allowed supervised contact with minors unrelated to the case who would share a residence with him should he be released.
Deputy Prosecutor Sara Beigh requested that O’Rourke set bail at $50,000 given the severity of the allegations.
Beigh also requested a protection order for the victim and release conditions prohibiting the defendant from frequenting places where minors are known to congregate and forbidding contact with any minors should he be released.
“Given the nature of the charges here, I don’t think he should have contact with any children,” said Beigh.
O’Rourke surpassed both requests and set the defendant’s bail at $250,000.
While she acknowledged that the defendant is presumed innocent and that the allegations in the probable cause affidavit were only allegations, “they are extremely concerning allegations,” she said.
She also granted Beigh’s requested release conditions and approved the protection order for the victim.
The defendant’s next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for July 8.
