SKYKOMISH, Wash. — A Skykomish gym teacher has been arrested for investigation of child rape over alleged inappropriate sexual encounters with a student over the span of two years.
The King County Sheriff’s Office said that the investigation began in the first week of March at the Skykomish K-12 School.
On March 6, a male staff member was arrested while at school, deputies said. He was later identified as a gym teacher, coach and athletics director.
KIRO 7 has not named the teacher because he has not been formally charged.
According to court documents, the victim’s mother reported that her daughter had been having an “intimate relationship” with her 62-year-old gym teacher. The girl’s mother reportedly found images and messages on her phone, and claimed their “encounters” first started when her child was in 7th grade. The victim is now in 9th grade.
Court documents say the gym teacher gave gifts to the victim and preferential treatment in class and on the soccer field that he didn’t get to other students.
Their “relationship” became sexual when the girl entered 8th grade, according to court documents. The gifts also allegedly evolved in a sexual nature.
Court documents allege that the sexual encounters happened in various parts of the school, and that the coach used gym-related code words in his messages to indicate a specific sexual act.
The victim told investigators that she would take nude photos of herself and that the suspect would take photos of her phone and delete the pictures, so they would live in his “recently deleted” album which requires a password to access, court documents allege.
According to court documents, other students and staff expressed concerns about victim and the teacher’s “relationship,” and over the last few months, the principal ordered the teacher not to be alone with the victim. This was allegedly enforced by having another student in the room with them while they were together, court docs allege.
Court documents allege that the arrangement didn’t make much of a difference, as the child is supposedly on the autism spectrum and would be in the room with a tablet and headphones while the victim and teacher engaged in sexual acts on the opposite side of the gym.
The victim told investigators that she was never forced to commit sexual acts on the suspect and that she didn’t want him to go to jail because she loved him, court docs said.
“[The suspect] stated several times that he was “guilty,” and everything that had happened was his fault. He cried several times while discussing the impact he’d had on [victim]. [The suspect] wrote an apology letter to [victim] telling her to never blame herself and that as an educator and coach, he should have been more “professional and responsible.” [The suspect] stated he “f***** up her whole life.” Asked us to take him to jail and to tell his wife that he was guilty. [The suspect] stated we didn’t need to investigate anything,” court documents said.
He was booked into the King County Jail for investigation for rape of a child.
Detectives do not believe there are additional victims, but the investigation is ongoing.
Bail has been set at $750,000.
KIRO 7 has reached out to the school district for comment.
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