A 40-year-old man is being held on $1 million bail pending possible charges stemming from a Centralia Police Department investigation into the reported sexual assault of a child.
The man was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree rape of a child at approximately 6:44 p.m. on Friday, May 2, according to jail records.
He has not been charged as of Monday afternoon. The Chronicle will identify the suspect if he is charged.
In a declaration of probable cause for a 72-hour investigative hold that was filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday, the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office details an investigation conducted by the Centralia Police Department into a sexual assault of a child that was reported on Dec. 16, 2024.
According to the affidavit, Child Protective Services forwarded a report to the Centralia Police Department indicating that a child under the age of 14 living in Centralia had reported being sexually assaulted by the man for the last three years.
The child participated in a Youth Advocacy Center interview on March 17, where she reportedly alleged that the man had sexually assaulted her, according to court documents.
Judge Paul Strophy approved the prosecution’s request for a 72-hour investigative hold on Monday, May 5, meaning the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office has until Thursday, May 8, to file charges against the man before he must be released from the Lewis County Jail.
The man’s bail was set at $1 million over the weekend, which Strophy ruled Monday to maintain until either charges are filed or the investigative hold expires.
