19-year-old registered sex offender made 12-year-old girl perform oral sex after forcing her into a bathroom, arrested
KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON: A Washington teenager has been arrested and charged after he allegedly forced a young girl into a bathroom and raped her.
Skylar Isaac Nelson, 19, befriended a 12-year-old girl at a skate park in Kennewick before leading her to an apartment complex near the Albertsons on Clearwater Ave., taking her into a bathroom, pulling her hair, and forcing her into giving him oral sex, according to KEPRTV.
Kennewick Police confirmed that the victim had subsequently reported the sexual assault by Nelson, who she knew as "Sky," and that they had arrested the 19-year-old "for the rape of a child in the second degree."
Vicky Murphy from Mirror Ministries said sex offenders often targeted those known to them. "They target friends, family, acquaintances and only about 27% are strangers," she explained.
However, this is not Nelson's first offense. NBC Right Now reported that Nelson was convicted of first-degree rape of a child and second-degree rape of a child as a 14-year-old in 2014 and that he is a level three sex offender—which is the highest level for a sex offender and means they are at a high risk of committing another sex crime.
While police do have a system in place to ensure that the public is kept safe from such offenders—including banning level two and level three offenders from pools, parks, libraries or schools—Nelson is homeless and was most recently listed as a transient in Benton County.
Despite being under DOC supervision, he had failed to report to the sheriff's office twice in the last two months, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest. "I know that the sheriff’s office has filed charges on him at least twice for failing to register as a sex offender," said officer Roman Trujillo with the Kennewick Police.
Following his arrest on September 25, Nelson reportedly waived his Miranda Rights and admitted to investigators during questioning that he had been in the bathroom with the victim, but denied using force and claimed he thought she was 14 or 15-years-old.
Nelson is currently being held in Benton County jail on a $250,000 bond, and the investigation is ongoing.