East County man suspected of rape of a child arrested after standoff

Original call was at 3:15 a.m., suspect surrendered at 6:45 p.m.

An Elma man who is accused of rape of a child after allegedly being caught having sex with his girlfriend’s 13-year-old daughter engaged sheriff’s deputies in a standoff for much of the day Wednesday when they came to arrest him.

The man surrendered Wednesday evening at a home south of Elma.

Deputies were dispatched to a home in the 100 black of Lennon Road when the man’s girlfriend called authorities. The boyfriend fled the scene before deputies arrived and a K9 unit was unable to locate him.

Both the mother and the victim left the Lennon Road residence, which is owned by the suspect’s parents.

About 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, a neighbor reported seeing the suspect on foot near the home. Deputies were in the area and arrived in minutes. They saw several firearms placed throughout the home. The deputies backed out of the residence and requested the Aberdeen Police Department’s Crisis Response Unit.

Officers from Aberdeen, the Hoquiam Police Department, the Montesano Police Department, the Elma Police Department and deputies from the Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene.

Initial attempts were made to communicate with the 35-year-old suspect, including attempts by the suspect’s family, but he would not respond.

At about 6:40 p.m., the suspect spoke with the Crisis Response Unit, and at 6:45 p.m., he came out of a bedroom and was taken into custody without incident.

He was taken to Grays Harbor County Jail, where he was booked for first-degree rape of a child. However, the Sheriff’s Office noted the appropriate charge should be second-degree rape of a child. Both charges are class A felonies.