EVERETT — A Bellingham man was arrested Saturday after his girlfriend’s daughter accused him of rape.
She was between the ages of 5 and 7 at the time of the sexual assaults, which reportedly happened in Everett perhaps in 2012, police said.
The man, 40, was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of rape of a child, child molestation, unlawful imprisonment and indecent liberties.
One day when the kids were playing in the yard, he told the girl to come inside and took her into his bedroom, according to court papers. The boyfriend allegedly threatened to “cut” her if she cried or disclosed what happened to anyone, according to a probable cause affidavit. She also told detectives he accidentally burned her with a lit cigarette that day. She showed them a burn mark on her arm.
The girl, now 10, and her younger brother were living with their mother and her boyfriend in unincorporated south Everett at the time. They moved around a lot. She said her biological father was looking for them, and the boyfriend didn’t want them to be found, according to court papers. During that year, they had lived in a car, motels and a house south of the city.
The boyfriend reportedly put barbed wire around the top of the fence surrounding the backyard. The girl told detectives he didn’t want them to escape and tell police where they were. Shortly after, they moved into their neighbor’s house and shared one bedroom.
Both kids now live with their father.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
