By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 23-year-old man was returned to Lewis County from North Dakota this weekend on warrants from last summer when he was charged with two separate sexually motivated crimes, one involving an underage girl and the other involving his estranged girlfriend.
The alleged incidents took place in November 2013 and the following May. Deputies were unable to locate Jence S. Sawyer until now and traveled to Williston, North Dakota on Thursday to bring him back, according to authorities.
On May 16, a deputy spoke with Sawyer’s estranged girlfriend, who described how she finally crawled out a bedroom window with her baby after Sawyer refused to let her leave his home, tried to have sex with her and assaulted her, according to charging documents.
The Chehalis area resident is being held on $150,000 bail.
The former girlfriend said she had gone to visit Sawyer so he could see their baby, and when she declined his advances, he held her in various ways including locking the front door, picking up the baby and saying she could not go and even pulling her back through a window by her ankles, before slapping and choking her, charging documents allege.
The documents don’t say how long it went on but indicate it was her third attempt to leave by the window that was successful.
Charging documents say she took her baby, ran into the bedroom and locked the door behind her. Once outside, she ran through bushes, grass and through a ditch up to Jackson Highway where she flagged down a passing motorist and police were contacted, the documents state.
The sheriff’s office reported in May the two were arguing over infidelity and at one point, the incident included Sawyer holding a rifle to his chin.
Sawyer is charged with second-degree assault and unlawful imprisonment, with sexual motivation.
According to charging documents in the other case, the sheriff’s office took a report last April from a 15-year-old girl at White Pass High School about a sexual encounter she said took place five months earlier, in which she said she told Sawyer several times to stop and he refused. For that, he is charged with third-degree rape of a child.
Charges in both cases were filed on Aug. 21. Sawyer was booked into the Lewis County Jail on Saturday and was brought before a judge this afternoon.
Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told the judge that Sawyer was recently employed, but is now not working and has no prior felony history.
Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said he has a pending drug charge.
Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey appointed Centralia attorney Don Blair to represent him. Sawyer’s arraignment is scheduled for Thursday morning.
The judge ordered him to have no contact with minors.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
@sheesh:
“Always gotta watch out for the weird ones.”
Be careful with ideas like that. You’re almost always the “weird one” to somebody else (however, please don’t misinterpret this post as being supportive of this ass-hole, Jence):
That one looks Jewish!
And that one’s a coon!
Who let all of this riff-raff into the room?
There’s one smoking a joint!
And another with spots!
If I had my way,
I’d have all of you shot!
I went to high school with this kid and he sure was… ‘different’. Never thought he’d be capable of this. Always gotta watch out for the weird ones.
Yeah he was recently working…………….in the oil boom of North Dakota while hiding from the police for child sexual charges. FLIGHT RISK!
Time to grab the castration clamps.
Great catch! Now…Justice.