Sex with underage girl started with Myspace
By JESSIE STENSLAND
Whidbey News Times Assistant editor
August 17, 2010 · Updated 2:34 PM
An 18-year-old Oak Harbor man accused of having sex with an underaged girl could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted of the charge against him, court documents indicate.
Prosecutors charged Omar Ponce Barajas in Island County Superior Court Aug. 4 with the rape of a child in the second degree. Under the charge, Ponca Barajas is accused of having sexual intercourse with a child who is at least 12 years old, but less than 14 years old.
On July 25, a Bellingham resident reported to Oak Harbor police that his 13-year-old daughter had been in a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old man, later identified as Ponce Barajas, while she visited her mother on Whidbey Island, the police report states.
Detective Ron Hofkamp with the Oak Harbor Police interviewed the alleged victim, who said she met Ponce Barajas via Myspace. She said they instant messaged each other for about a year before meeting at a carnival in Oak Harbor during this year’s Holland Happening festival.
The girl’s profile on Myspace states that she is 14 years old, Hofkamp wrote.
The girl said she had sex with Ponce Barajas a couple of times before and after she turned 13 years old, the detective wrote.
If convicted of the charge against him, Ponce Barajas could face from six and a half years to eight and a half years in prison under the standard sentencing range.
Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.Comment on this story.
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