The Winlock man convicted of first-degree child rape and other felony offenses was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison Wednesday in Lewis County Superior Court.
Aaron B. Grimm, 40, must serve a lifetime of community custody following any potential release, register as a lifetime sex offender and forfeit any firearms.
The court entered a lifetime no-contact order on behalf of the victim. The Chronicle is limiting details of the case to protect their identity.
The sentence is considered exceptional in that the standard sentence range for each of the five counts of first-degree child rape listed a top end of 26.5 years to life.
Standard sentence ranges are calculated based on the severity of the crimes and the defendant’s criminal history. Grimm has prior felony convictions for second-degree malicious mischief, third-degree rape and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The prosecution and Grimm’s defense, however, agreed to an exceptional sentence to include a minimum of 34 years for each of the five counts, to run concurrently.
Grimm was also sentenced to six years in prison for an additional felony count that will run consecutive to the 34 years.
Grimm pleaded guilty to a total of nine felony counts on Feb. 24.
In exchange for Grimm’s stipulation to an exceptional sentence, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington agreed to not file federal charges for potential allegations related to child sex abuse materials.
Deputy Prosecutor Brandi Archer told The Chronicle last month that “the potential federal charges factored into the state’s offer of an exceptional sentence upward.”
Before his ruling, Judge J. Andrew Toynbee said he reviewed the victims’ impact statements and the Department of Corrections’ pre-sentence investigation (PSI) report.
The PSI had also recommended an exceptional sentence based on several aggravating factors, including the extended period of abuse, the victim’s “extreme youth,” which made them incapable of resistance, and Grimm’s “position of trust.”
Lewis County Sheriff's Office Detective Erin Willey then made a statement, as did the victim and members of their family.
“This allowed the court a glimpse of the magnitude and far-reaching impact crimes of this nature create in our community,” Archer said in an email to The Chronicle on Friday.
The prosecutor said the victim showed “strength and resilience despite the egregious harm that was done” to them.
“Coming forward in a case like this is difficult, (the victim’s) bravery shone a light on what was happening and allowed Mr. Grimm to be held accountable for the life-altering decisions he made to harm a child that he should have protected,” Archer said.
According to previous Chronicle reporting, investigators were contacted on Sept. 11, 2025, about multiple instances of rape that had occurred in Winlock.
The victim was later forensically interviewed, and said the abuse continued for around two years, according to court documents.
Charging documents indicated the rapes occurred between February 2018 and February 2020.
Prosecutors filed charges against Grimm on Sept. 18, 2025, and the court issued an arrest warrant with a bail amount of $1 million.
During Grimm’s preliminary hearing on Sept. 26, 2025, his defense attorney said Grimm was out of the state working when he learned of the warrant, and that he made “immediate arrangements” to travel to Lewis County to turn himself in.
Before maintaining Grimm’s bail amount of $1 million, Toynbee indicated the defendant now faced additional charges of unlawful firearm possession after investigators discovered approximately 17 firearms, parts and ammunition in Grimm’s possession.
