MONTESANO — A 35-year-old Snohomish man convicted of attempting to rape an Elma boy he met on Facebook faces a sentence of life in prison as a “two strikes” sex offender.
The Daily World newspaper in Aberdeen reports it took jurors less than 30 minutes this week to convict Joel R. Alexander of attempted rape of a child.
He also was convicted in 2001 of child rape. The two convictions mean a life term when he is sentenced Dec. 3 in Grays Harbor County Superior Court.
Alexander began communicating with the boy on Facebook, but his mother became suspicious and turned the account over to police. A Washington State Patrol detective posed as the boy to set up a meeting for sex in an Elma park restroom. Alexander was arrested in April when he arrived.
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