Babysitter faces 30 counts of molesting children

A 21-year-old Oak Harbor resident who admitted to molesting boys and girls, ages 3 to 12, while he was babysitting them is facing 30 counts of sex-crime charges, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged Nathan Martinez in Island County Superior Court Aug. 7 with 10 counts of first-degree child rape, 19 counts of child molestation in the first degree and one count of attempted child molestation in the first degree.

All of the child-rape charges involve one 5-year-old child, while eight other children are identified as victims in the remaining charges. The alleged assaults occurred between June 1, 2007, and July 31, 2008.

If convicted of all the charges, Martinez could face up to 26 years and six months in prison under the standard sentencing range. He’s being held in jail on $250,000 bail.

Detective Teri Gardner with the Oak Harbor Police asked that anyone with information about the case or possible other victims contact her at 279-4623.

Gardner began investigating after Martinez and a group of the victims’ parents went to the police department Aug. 4. Martinez confessed to molesting the children, the detective wrote in her report.

The four families attended Living Faith Christian Center in Oak Harbor, but Gardner said she has no evidence to suggest any assaults occurred at the church.Martinez had provided the families with “childcare services,” documents indicate.

Martinez detailed his crimes against the children in a taped interview.

“He told me ... he knew what he was doing was wrong so he would apologize to the children afterward ...” Gardner wrote. “He would stop for awhile and then start again.”

Martinez told the detective that he was molested as a child over a period of 10 years.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.