Edmonds paraeducator charged with felony child sex crimes

Published 1:30 am Thursday, February 26, 2026

EVERETT — An Edmonds paraeducator pleaded not guilty Tuesday in King County Superior Court to multiple felony child sex crimes after an alleged sexual relationship with a student he tutored at home since she was 7.

On Jan. 17, the parents of a 15-year-old girl found hundreds of sexually explicit text messages on their daughter’s electronic devices from her 47-year-old tutor, according to court documents.

In a message shared with families in January, a district spokesperson said the man, a paraeducator at Edmonds-Woodway High School and Madrona K-8 School, has been put on administrative leave and will be “trespassed from all school and district property.”

The district is cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation and has a personnel investigation underway, the district spokesperson said in an email Thursday. They have no further comment at this time due to the ongoing “nature of these processes.”

The victim was born deaf and first met the defendant through a summer program for the deaf when she was 5 years old, according to court documents. He went on to be a paraeducator at her school, beginning when she was in kindergarten.

When she was around 7 years old, her parents hired him to be her tutor, court documents said. Initially, the tutoring sessions occurred in the dining room, but he said the people walking through made it difficult for her to concentrate. Eventually, they moved the session to an attic space.

In a child forensic interview, the victim said they began their “relationship” when she was 10 years old, but the sexual abuse began when she was 11. She expressed concern that the suspect may go to jail because they did things that were “against the law,” court documents said.

On Jan. 19, Edmonds police arrested the man at his residence and booked him into the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of third-degree rape of a child and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

Investigators later determined the abuse occurred at the victim’s home in Seattle, and Edmonds police transferred the case to the Seattle Police Department, court documents said.

On Feb. 11, prosecutors charged him with first, second and third-degree rape of a child, along with communication with a minor for immoral purposes in King County Superior Court.

At his arraignment Tuesday, the suspect pleaded not guilty, court documents said.

The suspect posted $750,000 bail, according to reporting by Fox 13 Seattle.

Superior Court Judge Nelson Lee granted the defense’s motion for release on electronic home monitoring, court documents said.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com. X: @JennaMillikan