A man accused of kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old girl in Olympia last week was charged Friday in Thurston County Superior Court with four high-level felonies.
Each of the four charges — first-degree kidnapping with aggravated circumstances, second-degree rape, second-degree rape of a child, and distribution of a controlled substance to a minor — carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Jesus Ramirez Molina, 42, was arrested in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Aug. 24, when officers with the Olympia Police Department found him and the girl inside a vehicle parked in the 3400 block of Stoll Street Southeast.
Officers had been looking for the girl since she was reported missing at approximately 10:05 p.m. Monday night.
The girl reportedly left her residence for a walk at about 7:15 p.m. that evening after an argument with relatives over house chores, and later texted that she would be home by 9 p.m.
Shortly after, they reportedly noticed her phone tracker was at Church of Living Waters on 18th Avenue Southeast in Olympia. The phone reportedly went straight to voicemail when her family tried to call, and they were initially unable to find the phone when they went to the area looking for it.
They later found the phone in a grass strip in the southeast portion of the church’s parking lot, and found that she had sent several audio voice messages to her friends.
In those messages, the girl reportedly said she had consumed multiple beverages with a high alcoholic content, and said she “had been approached by a male who offered her donuts and offered to buy her more drinks,” according to court documents.
She reportedly described the male as “Hispanic,” described the vehicle as “a red and white van with tape on the windows,” and said “she was almost kidnapped but had not gotten into his vehicle.”
Officers conducted an investigation and found a vehicle matching the description given in the voice messages leaving the church parking lot at approximately 8:46 p.m., according to court documents.
Officers soon located the vehicle, determined to be Molina’s truck, and found Molina and the girl inside.
Molina was arrested and the girl was transported to St. Peter Hospital for medical treatment.
When interviewed, the girl reportedly said that the male driver, alleged to be Molina, had approached her in his vehicle while she was walking and “commented on her shoes.”
He then allegedly pulled up to her again and offered her a donut. When she declined, saying that the donut “ might be ‘laced,’” he allegedly offered to drive her to the donut store. She declined again, responding “that’s how kidnapping happens,” and he drove off.
The girl reportedly continued walking to the church and sat down on the grass.
Molina allegedly approached her again, this time on foot, and sat down next to her.
The girl told police that Molina told her to “get in the car or he’s going to hurt me,” according to court documents.
She reportedly told police “I thought he was going to beat me,” and, out of fear he would hurt her, she said she decided to get in the car.
Inside the car, Molina allegedly gave the girl meth and cannabis to smoke, with her thinking the substance was solely cannabis. He allegedly “made her urinate in a bag” and then raped her.
The girl reported that she had told Molina she was 13, and said he had responded something to the effect of “it’s our little secret,” according to court documents.
In his interview with police, Molina allegedly said he saw the girl walking down the road as “an opportunity to possibly have sex with a woman by offering her some alcohol,” according to court documents.
He allegedly said “if he knew she was 13 years old, he would not have done it.”
Molina allegedly said he had pulled up beside the girl, commented on her shoes and asked if she wanted to get some beer. He allegedly went to go buy beer before returning to the girl at the church, where he “invited her to get in his truck and drive with him, and she agreed,” according to court documents. He allegedly said he drove her to a relative’s residence on Stoll Road and remained in the vehicle parked outside the residence.
Molina allegedly admitted to giving the girl meth and cannabis to smoke and to giving her a bag to urinate in, rather than letting her go into the residence to use the bathroom.
He allegedly claimed that “they did not have sex and just kissed,” but later allegedly admitted to sexual activity after being confronted with physical evidence, according to court documents.
Detectives who executed a search warrant on the vehicle found the bag of urine, two beer cans, a clothing item belonging to the victim, and drug paraphernalia.
Detectives also found multiple colorful stuffed animals “consistent with those marketed towards children,” women’s jewelry, a small purse containing jewelry, and a purple keychain on Molina’s truck keys that read “sweet 16.”
Molina had a preliminary hearing in Thurston County Superior Court on Tuesday, Aug. 24, where Judge Christopher Lanese found probable cause for kidnapping, rape and drug distribution charges.
Lanese set Molina’s bail at $1 million. He was still in custody at the Thurston County Jail as of Monday afternoon.
