Child rape suspect 'did not know she was 13'
BREMERTON, Wash. -- The mother of the YMCA employee accused of child rape claims the police have the story all wrong.
Malachi Powell, a 21-year-old employee of the Kitsap Family YMCA, has been charged in the rape of a 13-year-old member of the club.
But Powell's mother, Vanessa Kroger, says Powell had consensual sex with a girl whom he thought was much older.
"When he called yesterday, it was, 'Mom, I can't believe this. I did not know she was 13,'" she said.
On Friday Powell, charged with second-degree child rape and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, faced a judge.
Investigators say Powell met the girl while working as a receptionist at the club at 60 Magnuson Way, and gave her and her family a tour of the facility when they joined in May.
The two traded sexually cell phone communications, which eventually progressed to sexual encounters, police said. Powell has not denied the sexual relationship.
Bremerton police were called by the girl's parents when they discovered that their daughter had been communicating "inappropriately" with the YMCA employee, said Police Sgt. Kevin Crane.
"They were suspicious of their daughter's activities, so they looked at the communication. The communication was very sexual in nature and explicit," he said.
Officers then interviewed the girl, who provided them with information leading to the man's arrest.
Court documents state Powell believed the girl was 17. But the girl told detectives she was very upfront about her age. The girl said Powell "was always very paranoid when they were together and made statements like he didn't want to get caught because he didn't want to go to jail or get fired from his job," according to the statement of probable cause.
"I have reason to believe that she did lie to him about the age," she said. " I have seen her and to look at her, you would not think that she was 13 years old."
Even though investigators say none of the sexual encounters took place at the YMCA, the club said it is taking extra precautions to prevent similar incidents in the future.
"We screen these employees extremely well," said Bremerton YMCA Board Chairman Patrick Boyle, " We train them all of the time and it's really disappointment when you find out something like this, but we still don't know it's a fact."
Powell is being held at the Kitsap County Jail on $25,000 bail.
"I just pray, pray that he is exonerated," Kroger said.
Malachi Powell, a 21-year-old employee of the Kitsap Family YMCA, has been charged in the rape of a 13-year-old member of the club.
But Powell's mother, Vanessa Kroger, says Powell had consensual sex with a girl whom he thought was much older.
"When he called yesterday, it was, 'Mom, I can't believe this. I did not know she was 13,'" she said.
On Friday Powell, charged with second-degree child rape and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, faced a judge.
Investigators say Powell met the girl while working as a receptionist at the club at 60 Magnuson Way, and gave her and her family a tour of the facility when they joined in May.
The two traded sexually cell phone communications, which eventually progressed to sexual encounters, police said. Powell has not denied the sexual relationship.
Bremerton police were called by the girl's parents when they discovered that their daughter had been communicating "inappropriately" with the YMCA employee, said Police Sgt. Kevin Crane.
"They were suspicious of their daughter's activities, so they looked at the communication. The communication was very sexual in nature and explicit," he said.
Officers then interviewed the girl, who provided them with information leading to the man's arrest.
Court documents state Powell believed the girl was 17. But the girl told detectives she was very upfront about her age. The girl said Powell "was always very paranoid when they were together and made statements like he didn't want to get caught because he didn't want to go to jail or get fired from his job," according to the statement of probable cause.
"I have reason to believe that she did lie to him about the age," she said. " I have seen her and to look at her, you would not think that she was 13 years old."
Even though investigators say none of the sexual encounters took place at the YMCA, the club said it is taking extra precautions to prevent similar incidents in the future.
"We screen these employees extremely well," said Bremerton YMCA Board Chairman Patrick Boyle, " We train them all of the time and it's really disappointment when you find out something like this, but we still don't know it's a fact."
Powell is being held at the Kitsap County Jail on $25,000 bail.
"I just pray, pray that he is exonerated," Kroger said.