A 25-year-old Morton man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a young girl between 2010 and 2014.
The sexual assault was reported to the Morton Police Department in 2019 after the girl and her mother reported it to a pastor, according to Lewis County Superior Court documents.
At the time, the girl “reported that she vaguely recalled being raped” by the defendant about seven years prior, according to court documents. “This memory was triggered by (the defendant) recently reaching out to (the girl) and apologizing to her for the incident,” according to court documents, which stated the girl “reportedly had suppressed memories of the event.”
The Chronicle is not naming the defendant in order to protect the identity of the victim.
In messages to the girl that have since been provided to investigators, the defendant “appears to be apologetic for his conduct,” “apologizes for his wrong actions, notes feeling guilty, and talks about wanting to mend something that may have been messed with her ‘psyche’ over the years,” according to court documents.
The defendant allegedly admitted to the sexual assault when he was interviewed by a Morton police officer in 2019, according to court documents.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office filed felony sexual assault charges against the defendant in 2019. The court issued the defendant a summons notice to appear for a preliminary hearing, but the defendant was not present for that hearing, prompting a judge to issue a no-bail bench warrant in January 2020.
The defendant was arrested on that warrant on Tuesday.
He had his preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday, where Judge J. Andrew Toynbee ruled to allow the defendant to be released on $50,000 unsecured bail.
“I think the concerns that I have, which are for community safety, can be addressed by him having no contact with minors and not going anywhere minors are known to congregate,” Toynbee said Wednesday.
Those conditions were included in the defendant’s conditions of release, along with a provision prohibiting the defendant from having any contact with the victim until the case is resolved.
Arraignment is March 14.
