EVERETT — A Lake Stevens man, who reported his daughter missing Monday afternoon, was arrested on suspicion of child molestation and rape later that evening.
Around noon Monday, a school resource officer told police a middle school student confided to her school counselor that her biological father had been sexually abusing her, court documents said. Police placed the victim in protective custody, and a social worker transported her from school to perform a child forensic interview, where she disclosed that the alleged abuse began when she was in the third grade.
On Monday afternoon, the 38-year-old man posted on Facebook asking for help finding his daughter who had gone missing from school. Later that evening, the Lake Stevens Police Department said on social media they were aware of the post about the missing juvenile and that she had been located and was safe.
Around 5:35 p.m. Monday, officers arrested the suspect and transported him to the Lake Stevens Police Department where he confessed to being sexually attracted to children, court documents said. The suspect corroborated the victim’s statement and told police he “needed help to stop hurting her.”
According to court documents, the suspect wrote a letter apologizing to the victim for “the things I have done to you” and “for continuing to do those things that made you so uncomfortable.”
Officers booked the man into Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of child molestation and rape of a child.
Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan
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