SNOHOMISH — The owner of SnoTown Brewery in downtown Snohomish was sentenced to six months in jail Wednesday for “grooming” a girl who worked at his brewery.
Last week, a jury acquitted Frank Sandoval of felony second-degree child molestation allegations in the same case, but convicted him of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, a misdemeanor.
Prosecutors asked Snohomish County Superior Court Judge George Appel to give Sandoval nine months. The defense asked for no jail time.
Over 20 supporters — including brewery customers, lawyers, mental health counselors and the former mayor of Snohomish — flooded the court with letters before Sandoval’s sentencing.
“Frank has been a very active and positive member of our community in Snohomish during the entire time that I have known him,” wrote Snohomish ex-Mayor John Kartak, who recently lost a bid to return to City Hall. “I am honored to be his friend. Just like many others, I have stood by his side during this trial and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to do so — as much as it is such a shame that he has had to go through all of this for things that he was not guilty of.”
Deputy prosecutor Julia Hartnell said in court the case was an example of how people can be against sexual abuse in theory, but can’t fathom it when someone they care about is accused.
“Communication with a minor for immoral purposes is grooming, it’s a precursor to child molestation,” Hartnell said. “People who offend against children come from all walks of life; you can’t identify a child molester just by walking down the street. But they have one thing in common: They use manipulation to avoid accountability. They twist the narrative so the focus is not on how they have caused harm, but how they are being victimized by being held accountable.”
In a week-long trial, prosecutors alleged Sandoval, now 49, inappropriately touched a preteen girl over the course of about a year starting in 2020. The girl and her family had been customers and she had worked a bit at the brewery.
According to the charges filed in August of last year, Sandoval asked her to sit on his knee and kiss his cheek for pictures. The girl later reported he touched her sexually. The girl also reported in an interview at Dawson Place that Sandoval complimented her at a costume party, saying she was “way more attractive” than the women there, the charges said.
In October of this year, Snohomish County prosecutors added another count of second-degree child molestation and two counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. In the amended charges, prosecutors wrote Sandoval’s behavior toward teen girls stretched back to 2009, according to court documents.
Prosecutors submitted an account of that alleged history, but did not file charges related to older incidents. At trial, Appel didn’t allow those allegations to be used as evidence, the judge said in court.
Shaver told a Daily Herald reporter that one juror out of 12 thought Sandoval was guilty of the misdemeanor charge, but convinced the other jurors to “compromise” to avoid a mistrial.
“It’s unfortunate that despite 11 of the 12 jurors believing Mr. Sandoval was not guilty of communicating with a minor for an immoral purpose, he will now face up to a year in jail and ten years of sex offender registration,” Shaver wrote in an email, “but that is our system of ‘justice.’”
Hartnell did not respond to a request for comment.
According to the charges, the girls’ parents confronted Sandoval in late 2021. He appeared to be in shock and apologized, reportedly saying he didn’t know what he was thinking. Sandoval reported to detectives he’d have the girl sit on his lap because he was hard of hearing, but denied touching her in a sexual way, prosecutors wrote.
Since January, four prosecutors withdrew from the case, according to court records. Hartnell took over in August.
Sandoval had no prior criminal history. He opened the brewery in 2015 and has been a part of local charities and fundraisers.
In court Wednesday, the defense attorney said Sandoval’s life won’t be the same.
“He is somebody that gives back to the community, he is somebody that people trust,” Shaver said. “This case has affected his life in immeasurable ways. I would say 80% of the news articles contained facts that are inaccurate. When people read these articles, they’re the jury, judge and executioner immediately. That’s no different from Mr. Sandoval: He lost a lot of business, he lost friends, he lost colleagues.”
Over Zoom, the girl said in court Wednesday that Sandoval’s actions cast a deep shadow over her life.
“The pain I’ve gone through under his influence has left deep scars on my relationships and mindset,” she said. “Even benign touches can make me shudder and I can’t escape the feeling of danger, paranoia, even in the safety of my own home. The trust that I once had in people has been replaced by a deep suspicion of men.”
Appel told Sandoval he has done a great deal of damage.
“I don’t draw any negative inferences from the fact that Mr. Sandoval had friends here, friends tend to be loyal,” the judge said. “It also doesn’t mean that loyal friends carry much weight on my opinion. This is a crime — communicating with a minor for immoral purposes — that is selfish, thoughtless and perverse, and it has far-reaching implications for somebody who has lived through it.”
Sandoval declined to speak in court.
SnoTown Brewery remained open while the case was pending. The business was closed on Wednesday afternoon.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @snocojon.
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