PORT ANGELES — A man who has been deported twice appeared in Clallam County Superior Court on Thursday accused of raping two children, ages 6 and 8, in 2012.
Judge Brian Coughenour set bail for Miguel Angel Medel Lopez, 38, at $100,000 after Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin requested $500,000.
Medel Lopez, who lives in Forks, was arrested Wednesday after a nearly year-long investigation that involved Child Protective Services, the National Park Service and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation started when one of the alleged victims talked to her mental health worker in January.
“He blamed his conduct, rape, on an 8- and 6-year old child,” Devlin said, referring to a recorded conversation in which one of the alleged victims confronted Medel Lopez.
“I didn’t force you to do anything,” Medel Lopez said, according to court documents. “It was the way you guys were playing before. With me. It made me do it.”
In that recorded conversation, Medel Lopez said he would “probably” take it back if he could, court records say.
“I don’t want to live with that over my head,” Medel Lopez said, court records say. “I can’t fix the past, but I can probably do better in the future.”
One of the alleged victims told a special agent with the National Park Service that Medel Lopez took both of them to a cabin in the woods before touching them.
Devlin said among the reasons she requested $500,000 bail is because Medel Lopez has been deported from the United States twice. He also has a history of failure to appear, she said.
“It is clear and evident that he does not comply with court orders or any orders of the state of Washington or the country,” Devlin said.
Coughenour said that Medel Lopez returning to the United States twice after deportation shows he is a risk to the community.
Charges are expected to be filed Monday at 1 p.m.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.
