Sex Crimes Defense in Washington

The accusation itself is the first emergency.

For eight years as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, I saw how sex-offense cases get built — and I saw something else: how much of the damage happens before charges are ever filed. A detective's phone call. A "pretext call" from the accuser, recorded with an officer listening in. A request to "come down and clear this up." By the time many people think to call a lawyer, the State's case has already been shaped by their own words.

That's why the most valuable time in one of these cases is the window most people waste: the days or weeks between learning of an allegation and any arrest. If you have reason to believe you are being investigated — even if no one has contacted you — that is the moment to call. I have resolved cases in that window that never became charges at all.

What's at stake under Washington law.

Washington's sex-offense statutes — concentrated in Chapter 9A.44 RCW — cover a wide range, from rape and child molestation to indecent liberties, voyeurism, sexual misconduct with a minor, and offenses involving electronic communications and images (Chapter 9.68A RCW). The consequences extend far beyond the sentence itself:

• Indeterminate sentencing. Many serious sex offenses are sentenced under RCW 9.94A.507: a minimum term, and a maximum of life, with release decided by a review board rather than the calendar.
• Sex-offender registration (RCW 9A.44.130) — in some cases for life, affecting where you live, work, and travel.
• Strike offenses. Several sex offenses count under Washington's persistent-offender law.
• Collateral devastation: employment, professional licenses, immigration status, parenting rights, firearms, and reputation — often triggered by the accusation alone.

Understanding the full exposure is the starting point of every defense I build — because you cannot make any decision about your case without knowing precisely what's on the table.

How these cases are fought — and won.

Sex-offense prosecutions often rest on a single account, with little physical evidence and enormous pressure on everyone involved. That structure creates real defenses for the accused, and I pursue all of them:

• The investigation itself. Forensic interviews of children follow strict protocols; suggestive or leading questioning taints the account. I examine every recorded interview against the standard it was supposed to meet.
• Credibility, motive, and context. Custody disputes, breakups, retaliation, and misunderstanding are real phenomena, and Washington's rape-shield rule (RCW 9A.44.020) and child-hearsay statute (RCW 9A.44.120) create specific, litigable rules about what a jury hears and how.
• The science. DNA and forensic-medical evidence are frequently less conclusive than the State's summary suggests. I engage independent experts when the forensics deserve scrutiny.
• The digital record. Phones, messages, and location data cut both ways — and they regularly contradict the timeline in the police report.
• Suppression. Statements obtained improperly, searches that exceeded their warrant, and interrogations that ignored an invocation of rights can be excluded. I litigate CrR 3.5 and 3.6 hearings as a matter of course.

And when a case cannot be won outright, knowing the alternatives matters: the Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative (SSOSA, RCW 9.94A.670) and carefully negotiated resolutions can mean the difference between a life permanently defined by a charge and a future that remains your own.

Discretion is not optional. It's the practice.

People accused of these offenses are judged before they are tried — by employers, neighbors, sometimes family. I handle these matters with complete confidentiality and without judgment. You will deal with me directly, not staff; communications are protected; and the first consultation is simply a conversation about where you stand and what happens next. I know false allegations happen, I know what they do to a person, and I know the system can be made to honor the presumption of innocence — but only when someone insists on it from the very beginning.