Centralia man sentenced to 53 years to life for rape

May 22-Robert Brian Raley was sentenced to 53 years to life in prison following his sentencing for rape earlier this month. He has since appealed to a higher court through his attorney.

A jury found the 44-year-old Centralia man guilty of two counts of first-degree rape of a child and other offenses in Lewis County Superior Court on April 1.

A lifetime no-contact order has been entered on behalf of the victim.

Raley was sentenced May 6. His attorney subsequently submitted a notice of appeal seeking review of the judgment by the Washington state Court of Appeals Division II in Tacoma.

The case remains in the appeal stage.

According to court documents, a judge imposed the exceptional sentence based on aggravating factors found by the jury.

Specifically, the jury found that Raley used his position of trust to "facilitate the commission of the crime."

Raley was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail on April 22, 2025, following an investigation by the Lewis County Sheriff's Office.

According to previous Chronicle reporting, an Oregon detective referred the case to the sheriff's office after an earlier investigation revealed incidents that had occurred in Lewis County.

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