Seattle Sex Crimes Attorneys Providing Legal Services For Clients Accused In King County
Lawyers Providing Clients With Skilled And Experienced Representation
- A top criminal attorney with our law firm will defend your case, including violent crimes and sex crimes such as sexual assault, statutory rape or sex abuse.
- Regarded as one of the highly respected and experienced law firms in the Seattle area, our current rating on Google is 4.4/5.0 stars – based on 31 reviews.
- As one of the best, award-winning lawyers in Washington, Kevin Trombold has earned numerous favorable reviews from clients.
- Top lawyer Kevin Trombold is described as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most honest, aggressive, understanding and most importantly, effective attorneys.
What are sex crimes? The state of Washington recognizes a long list of sex crimes and laws that protect children. If you are charged with any sex offense in the greater Seattle area, contact experienced sex crimes attorney Kevin Trombold at once.
An accusation of sexual assault, sexual abuse, rape, or statutory rape can impact your life far beyond the specific criminal penalties. Whether it’s an indecent assault charge or something somewhat less threatening – cyber sex crimes, for example, or a violation of public indecency laws – you need to have your rights aggressively defended.
With over two decades of experience representing defendants charged with sex crimes, Attorney Kevin Trombold knows that suspects can be wrongly arrested and falsely accused. If you are charged with any violation of a rape law, a statutory rape law, or another sexual abuse law, get immediate legal help – call the Law Offices of Kevin Trombold.
There are a number of different sex crimes that are punishable by law in Washington. Some of the most common crimes include:
- Rape
- Statutory rape
- Sexual misconduct with a minor
Charges are brought against the accused by the state, but in some cases, you may face federal charges for a sex crime. What are federal sex crimes? Some examples include sex crimes involving children, such as aggravated sexual abuse of a child or distribution of child pornography.
Rape in the first degree is a class A felony. If convicted, you may face a life sentence behind bars in addition to sizeable fines. This crime occurs when you force someone to have sexual intercourse without consent and also:
- Either use or just threaten to utilize a weapon
- Kidnap the victim
- Cause a serious injury
- Unlawfully enter the home, workplace, vehicle, or other structure where the victim is at the time of the crime
Second-degree rape is classified as a class A felony in the state of Washington and carries the same possible consequences as rape in the first degree. If you are charged with rape in the second degree, it means you are being accused of forcing someone to have sexual intercourse and also:
- The victim is unable to provide consent because of a physical or mental handicap
Third-degree rape in Washington is a class C felony, which means you could face up a sentence of five years and a fine of $10,000 if you are convicted. Third-degree rape occurs when you force sexual intercourse upon someone, and you also:
- Do not pay attention to the lack of consent, which the victim can express either verbally or nonverbally.
- Make a threat to harm the property of the victim
In Washington, the age of consent is sixteen. If a child is under the age of 16, the child is not legally old enough to consent to sexual activity. If you engage in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16, you may face statutory rape charges.
It’s important to note that the age of consent is raised to 18 in certain situations. If the partner is a foster parent to the child, the age of consent is 18. If the older partner is at least 60 months older than the younger partner and abuses the relationship in order to have sexual intercourse, the age of consent is 18.
If the crime is considered to be rape of a child, the defendant may face anywhere between five years to life in prison as well as up to $50,000 in fines. The sentence that is handed down will depend on what degree the rape of a child charge has been filed as.
Sometimes, having sex with a minor can be charged as sexual misconduct with a child instead of rape. This is the case when the partners are foster parent and child or when the older partner is an employee of the school that the younger partner attends. Sexual misconduct with a minor in the first degree is a felony, however sexual misconduct in the second degree is a gross misdemeanor.
What does indecent exposure mean in the state of Washington? Indecent exposure occurs when a person exposes his private areas in a public setting or in any place where there are other people around. Lewdness and indecent exposure go hand in hand, meaning you must have exhibited some sort of lewd behavior in order to be charged. Exposing your private parts to breastfeed a baby is not lewd behavior, so this is not indecent exposure. Prosecutors must know how to prove you were behaving in a lewd manner, otherwise, they will not be able to convict you.
Is indecent exposure a felony or misdemeanor? It depends on your record and whether or not your crime is considered indecent exposure with a minor. What is indecent exposure to a minor? Although in most cases, indecent exposure is charged as a misdemeanor, if you exposed yourself to a child who was under the age of 14 at the time, this is a gross misdemeanor.
The indecent exposure to a minor punishment is more severe than basic indecent exposure. When is indecent exposure a felony? If you have a prior sex crime conviction on your record, you will be charged with a felony for indecent exposure.
If you have been charged, let an attorney show you how to fight indecent exposure charges. Although indecent exposure is considered a sex crime, you do not need to register as a sex offender if you are convicted.
Besides rape, sexual misconduct, and indecent exposure, another sex crime is child molestation. What is molestation by law? Specifically, what is molestation of a juvenile? First-degree child molestation occurs when sexual conduct between a child who is 11 or younger and another person who is at least three years older.
Second-degree child molestation occurs when the child is either 12 or 13 and the accused is three or more years older, while child molestation in the third degree occurs when the child is either 14 or 15 and the accused is a minimum of four years older. Based on these legal definitions, molestation cannot occur child to child unless one is at least three years older than the other. What does molestation consist of? “Sexual conduct” is a broad term, so it is possible to be charged for this crime even without penetration.
Coping with molestation as a child can be difficult, and dealing with it in the family is challenging, too. How can molestation affect a person? How does molestation affect a child and does it later affect adulthood, too? Does it affect future relationships? There have been a number of studies that answer these questions in an effort to learn how to help victims dealing with molestation.
Unfortunately, there is no guide to recovering from this form of child abuse and neglect, so many children are affected for years afterwards. Typically, molestation leads to depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem and severe behavioral issues. The court is often tough on child molestation defendants because of the many negative effects of their alleged crimes.
If you are convicted of any sex crime, you will be forced to register on the Washington Sex Offender Registry. What is the sex offender registration? This means that for the rest of your life, the public, future employers and government agencies can access your prior convictions and personal information, which has now been made available to the public. The purpose of the sex offender registration is to alert the public of nearby sex offenders and provide law enforcement with the tools they need to monitor them on a consistent basis.
However, there has been a lot of debate over whether these laws are good or bad. Why is the sex offender registration controversial? For starters, many people have wondered “Are sex offender registration laws effective?” Some people believe sex offenders can still get away with committing crimes even if they are on a list, so it shouldn’t be required.
People who have been convicted of sex crimes believe their information should be kept private instead of being made available to the public. The constitutionality of sex offender registration laws has been discussed at great lengths in the U.S. However, the Supreme Court has upheld current laws each time they have reviewed a case related to sex offender registry.
Besides Washington, what states require sex offender registration? All of them, thanks to a legislation known as the Sex Offender Registration Act. What is the Sex Offender Registration Act? This is a federal law passed in 2016 that requires states to implement a tracking program for convicted sex offenders. Each state will decide what offenses require sex offender registration.
In Washington, sex crimes such as rape and sexual misconduct will land you on this list. If someone is found in violation of the registration, meaning they have not registered on time or failed to provide accurate information, they may face criminal charges and severe penalties.
How long is sex offender registration required of those who are convicted? The length of registration will vary by state. In Washington, you may be required to stay on the list for the rest of your life unless the court grants your request to be removed.
The impact of a sex offender registration can be felt in your personal and professional lives. Some of the consequences of registering include difficulty finding employment, being isolated from the community, and possibly losing friends and family members. Those who are convicted often ask how to appeal sex offender registration. In order to so, you will have to appeal the verdict in your case with the help of a skilled lawyer.
Violations of sex crime laws happen in almost every kind of setting. “Sexual assault” can mean almost any physical and even nonphysical sexual contact from violent rape to obscene phone calls and everything in-between. There is no “typical” sex crime.
If every sex crime is unique, how are they investigated? Every case must be investigated without prejudice or preconceived notions. Interviews must be conducted with both the victim and the suspect. Who investigates these crimes? In many cases, a specialized sex crimes detective who has been trained to deal with victims and sex offenders is brought in.
It’s important that someone who knows how a rape victim is examined handles the case in order to collect important DNA evidence. Any allegation of rape, statutory rape, sex abuse, or the sexual exploitation of a child necessitates a thorough and comprehensive examination of the facts by a well-trained and substantially experienced criminal defense lawyer.
Attorney Kevin Trombold fights to defend the rights every client, and he tirelessly strives to bring the best possible resolution to every sex crime case. A sex crime conviction can put you in prison for years. If you are accused of any sex crime, protect yourself and call attorney Kevin Trombold immediately.
If you are facing any sex crime charges or under investigation in or around the Seattle area, including in Snohomish County, Everett, Bellevue, and Tacoma, you will need legal representation right away. Please contact the Law Offices of Kevin Trombold today to schedule a free consultation to learn about our legal services and how we can help you fight these allegations. You can reach the office by calling 206-249-9656 or sending an email through the form on this site. For an overview of our location, please see the map on the contact page.
