Everett man, 21, admits rape of 12-year-old boy

An Everett man who lured a 12-year-old boy at an AquaSox baseball game in July pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of second-degree child rape.

Edward Allen Hope, 21, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 4 by Snohomish County Superior Court Judge James Allendoerfer. He faces a prison term of at least 61/2 years, deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson said.

Matheson said the boy was lured away from Everett Memorial Stadium after a July 13 game and was repeatedly abused sexually at an Everett motel.

Hope first approached the boy on the way into the stadium and tried to talk him into going someplace with him, Matheson said. The boy refused. After the game, he met the boy again and this time talked him into accompanying him, the prosecutor added.

Meanwhile, the boy’s parents were frantically looking for the child when he didn’t come home that night. They reported him as a runaway. The next night, the boy’s father went to the baseball game and found the boy. The boy told his father he had spent the previous night with a man and pointed out Hope, Matheson said.