King County Council Vice-Chair Reagan Dunn is demanding answers from the county prosecutor’s juvenile division after a KOMO News investigation into the low rate of sexual assault charges.
It’s not good for justice, and most importantly, it's not good for the victims for these crimes are perpetrated against,” said Dunn, who has served as a federal prosecutor. “I really am concerned about the direction of the juvenile division right now, particularly with respect to sexual assault cases.
KOMO News reported last week that just 17% of sexual assault complaints were charged by the juvenile division, and the division’s lead Jimmy Hung did not dispute the low number. The King County Sexual Assault Resource Center has also expressed concern that the juvenile division is not placing enough emphasis on enforcing the statutes.
Almost 50% of cases were also classified as statutory referrals, in which police did not forward a case with a charging request or were asked for further information. A former King County deputy prosecutor, speaking on a condition of background, said police will often confer with prosecutors before making such a recommendation.
Dunn also referenced the case, highlighted by KOMO News, in which a 16-year-old accused another teen of raping her in a Seattle park. Despite significant physical evidence, and after months of discussion, Hung acknowledged he did not seek key evidence and his office did not charge the case.
“I think it's a dreadful mismanagement of the case to not at least get a search warrant and talk to the alleged perpetrator very quickly after the incident occurred," Dunn said. "Those are foundational, fundamental things you do, as a prosecutor, you do in the law enforcement circles.
