Spokane man sent to prison for sexually assaulting two Whatcom County children
A 24-year-old Spokane man will spend more than two years in prison for sexually assaulting two children roughly a decade ago while he was visiting family in Whatcom County.
Emilio Jesus Villanueva was sentenced Feb. 22 in Whatcom County Superior Court to 2½ years in prison, with three years probation, for one count of third-degree child rape and one count of third-degree child molestation. Villanueva’s charged were reduced from two counts of first-degree child rape and one count of first-degree child molestation as part of a plea deal, according to court records.
Villanueva will be required to register as a sex offender, court records show.
In 2014, two children under the age of 12, reported to adults and law enforcement that they both had been sexually assaulted by Villanueva.
One of the children told law enforcement they had been sexually assaulted multiple times in 2012 or 2013, the court records state.
Villanueva had allegedly fled to Montana to live with his father once he learned he was a suspect in the case, according to court records.
Villanueva eventually turned himself into the Whatcom County Jail on March 29, 2015, the records show.
Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org.
▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.
▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/
▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.
▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.
