The Centralia Police Department has arrested a suspect in a series of rapes that occurred more than 16 years before they were reported in August of 2023, the department announced Wednesday.
“The investigation revealed that the alleged victim had been groomed by the suspect beginning at age 9, and by age 10, the suspect had begun to rape the victim. These occurrences continued until the victim was approximately 14 years old,” the Centralia Police Department stated in a news release.
The victim, who is now in their 30s, “detailed what had occurred to them and how the suspect had been a trusted adult in their life” when they reported the rapes in August, according to the news release.
The Centralia Police Department had probable cause to arrest the suspect, identified by the department as Keith H. Adams, 49, of Chehalis, on Wednesday, Jan. 24, according to the news release.
Adams was arrested “without incident” and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree rape of a child.
Charges had not been formally filed in Lewis County Superior Court as of Wednesday afternoon.
“No further information will be released at this time. Anyone with information related to this case or any other unreported cases involving Keith Adams are encouraged to contact the Centralia Police Department,” the department said in a news release.
