A jury convicted a Spokane Valley attorney of molesting a woman and a relevant cost, but acquitted him of child rape and just one rely of molestation final 7 days.
Ray Deonier, 50, who the moment ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the point out Legislature, was observed responsible of two counts of third-diploma kid molestation and two second-diploma counts of possessing depictions of a small engaged in sexually express conduct. The jury located that the defendant exploited or violated a place of rely on with the target to dedicate his crimes, which was an aggravating component.
“With all these rates, there is a specific allegation that Mr. Deonier had a place of have confidence in in (the victim’s) daily life and he abused it,” said Deric Martin, a deputy prosecutor in the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Place of work.
Deonier was acquitted of three counts of third-diploma little one rape and 1st-diploma boy or girl molestation.
For the two counts of possessing depictions of a minor engaged in sexual specific conduct, Deonier could experience up to 10 a long time in jail and a $20,000 good. The little one molestation conviction is punishable by up to five many years in jail and up to a $10,000 wonderful. The felony convictions are also grounds for Deonier to be disbarred.
Deonier, a loved ones law attorney, ran from fellow Republicans Matt Shea and Diana Wilhite for a seat in the Legislature just after Lynn Schindler vacated the placement in 2008.
The sexual abuse started early in the victim’s daily life with inappropriate touching and manifested for the duration of her 2015-16 freshman 12 months of substantial school, prosecutors claimed.
The victim, now 20, claimed Deonier informed her at the condominium that she must be Alright with him touching her and that it is normal.
She explained Deonier explained to her to “accept us” and “let me enjoy you.” She explained he told her they ended up meant to be jointly in a connection.
The sufferer cried a number of instances on the stand, reaching for tissues at moments, but was ready to discuss clearly.
“This is really challenging to talk about,” she stated.
She reported the sexual abuse to a school source officer in April 2016 and then identified as 911 about the abuse a month later on, just right after her 15th birthday. She explained the abuse ongoing right after the to start with report.
She reported she made a decision to report the abuse when she realized she could not control what Deonier was undertaking to her.
“I was making an attempt to save myself,” she mentioned.
Detectives investigated the reviews, but the circumstance was briefly categorised as inactive in 2016 simply because pictures and video clips the victim secretly collected throughout the abuse have been not retrievable with the know-how at the time.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Business office bought new technologies in May well 2019 that authorized them to bypass PIN secured cellphones and retrieve the proof.
“It was so shocking,” the victim explained to the court docket. “I didn’t believe that day would come.”
Deonier was charged before long thereafter.
The evidence incorporated explicit images of the victim with identifiable entire body areas of Deonier, in accordance to courtroom paperwork. The pictures and films have been recorded on Deonier’s Apple iphone and found in a vault application that was disguised as a calculator and needed a passcode to obtain, the court files mentioned.
The victim made several voice recordings of Deonier inquiring her to carry out sexual functions, but police were unable to get well the recordings mainly because she reported Deonier experienced reset her telephone to factory options by an app.
Deonier explained to the sheriff’s business office in 2016 that he had wiped the victim’s Apple iphone on many situations as a punishment for her “bad or disrespectful actions,” according to court files.
In her opening assertion, Brooke Foley, Deonier’s attorney, instructed the jury that Martin picked points that satisfied the prosecution’s aims.
“Those are the specifics that are considered with the most damaging of lenses,” Foley mentioned.
“We consider that if you pay attention carefully and take into consideration the testimony and the evidence which is going to be presented to you, the only actual summary that you can get to is that this is a difficult time and a tragic yr in the everyday living of a household who is battling on so quite a few distinct levels,” Foley reported.
Deonier was jailed soon after the verdict was browse and will keep on being there till his sentencing.
Reporter Emma Epperly contributed to this story.