Prosecutor won't charge Edmonds teacher after student rape allegation
For the second time in two years, local prosecutors have declined to charge an Edmonds School District special education teacher accused of sexual misconduct against students.
The Snohomish County prosecuting attorney's office confirmed Wednesday it would not charge the teacher with felony child rape. The allegations lacked sufficient evidence to meet the burden of proof, said Michael Held, chief of staff for the prosecutor.
"Following a thorough investigation by the Lynnwood police department, a single count of Rape of a Child in the First Degree was referred to our office for consideration of charges," Held wrote in an email. After reviewing the materials, "we determined that there is insufficient admissible evidence to prove that a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt."
The Seattle Times typically does not name suspects until they have been charged with a crime.
The teacher submitted his resignation from the district in January but remains on administrative leave until August 31, 2026, according to a settlement agreement with the teacher that The Times obtained through the state Public Records Act.
In May 2024 staff at Meadowdale Elementary, where the teacher worked, complained to the Lynnwood Police Department. They alleged the teacher sexually harassed staff and inappropriately touched students, according to a Lynnwood police report.
Police investigated and issued the teacher a citation for assault in the fourth degree involving a staff member and assault in the fourth degree with sexual motivation involving a student. They referred the case to the City of Lynnwood's prosecuting attorney's office.
The Edmonds School District placed the teacher on administrative leave in August 2024. The district declined to comment Wednesday on the Snohomish County Prosecutor's decision to not prosecute.
In February 2025 Chad Krepps, then Lynnwood's contract prosecuting attorney, first declined to prosecute the teacher for sexual harassment against a staff member. He wrote in a memo to police, which was obtained by The Times, that the alleged sexual harassment was "not welcome" by the school staff member and the interactions "had negative psychological responses."
But he determined the incident was not a crime because "the City must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the touching was harmful or offensive … The reported incidents of touching could be considered by many as ordinary, common, or innocuous." Krepps also found that the reported hugs the teacher would give students to be concerning but not criminal.
Then in June 2025, after the police investigated further, Krepps wrote "I do believe there is probable cause for assault," regarding allegations that the teacher assaulted a student when the teacher "log carried" a student across a field, with arms wrapped around the student's body. This was "preventing her from moving her arms and kicking her legs," Krepps wrote previously.
The supplemental memo to police added, though, that the city would not be filing charges because "the date of violation falls outside the 2-year statute of limitation for gross misdemeanor offences."
Lynnwood police received a more serious allegation in August 2025. A student reported that the teacher sexually assaulted her in a classroom when she was in fifth grade, according to a police report obtained by The Times. Police referred this allegation to the county prosecutor.
The county prosecuting attorney's office reviewed information from the previous investigation, but the information didn't alter the decision to decline a felony rape charge, Held said Wednesday.
Attorneys representing the teacher didn't respond to requests for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.