Man who sexually assaulted woman at family cabin will face no jail time
An Everett man pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and was sentenced in Whatcom County Superior Court on Monday. He will spend no time in jail or prison.
Colton Wesley Braa, 27, was initially charged with third-degree rape for the assault of a woman known to him at a cabin in Whatcom County. He was booked into Whatcom County Jail on May 14, 2022, and posted bail two days later, according to jail records.
The victim, a longtime friend of Braa, reported the assault in August 2021, court records show. She told police that she had driven to Braa’s family cabin near Maple Falls to meet him in November 2020. She said she told Braa prior to the assault that she would not have sex with him.
“This is not something that she’s going to move past any time soon,” Deputy Prosecutor Maggie Peach said.
Peach said the woman wanted to address the court prior to Braa’s sentencing but was unable to. She did not want to go to trial and relive the incident, Peach said, and testifying would be an “insurmountable obstacle” for her.
Braa pleaded guilty to the amended charge, a gross misdemeanor, with an agreed recommended sentence of a two-year post-conviction no-contact order between him and the victim with no jail time.
Defense attorney Michael Brodsky said the no-contact order was still a consequence for Braa, as it makes it more difficult for him to cross the border between the U.S. and Canada. Braa, who is a dual citizen, has to regularly cross the border to bring his grandmother to the U.S. for treatment, according to Brodsky. Because of the no-contact order already in place as part of the terms of his release from jail, Brodsky said Braa’s car is searched every time by Customs and Border Patrol.
Braa did not address the court prior to his sentencing.
Judge Evan Jones followed the agreed-upon sentencing recommendation.
“You’ve got to take some accountability for the way you behave,” Jones told Braa.
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.
▪ 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.
▪ WWU Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-7982 or cwc.wwu.edu/survivorservices.