PORT ANGELES — A 57-year-old Port Angeles man is facing child rape charges for alleged sexual abuse that occurred more than a dozen years ago.
Cory A. McCown was arrested Thursday for investigation of second-degree child rape after a 29-year-old Yakima woman told Port Angeles police that she had been raped by McCown when she was a child.
Under state law, rape of a child can be prosecuted until the alleged victim turns 30.
McCown posted a $5,000 bail after his initial court appearance Friday. He vehemently denied the allegations.
“I have to say, the charges are completely spurious,” McCown told Superior Court Judge Brian Coughenour.
“They’re bogus. I don’t know where this is coming from.”
Clallam County Chief Criminal Prosecuting Attorney Michele Devlin had requested a $50,000 bail for McCown based on the seriousness of the allegations.
“What we have is a delayed disclosure of rape of a child in the second (degree) over a period of years,” Devlin told Coughenour.
“It could be, also, rape of a child in the third.”
Prosecutors will consider filing a formal charge or charges against McCown at his next court appearance at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the affidavit for probable cause, the alleged sexual abuse began when the victim was in the seventh grade and continued until she was 18.
“She wants the court to know that he had raped her through several years of her childhood and alienated her from her friends and family,” Devlin said.
“She believes that he is a danger to her family and the community.”
Based on McCown’s lack of criminal history, Coughenour said he was inclined to release McCown on his personal recognizance.
McCown said he had already paid for a Sunday-morning flight to attend to a family crisis in Arizona.
He said he planned to drive an ailing family member from Arizona to Wenatchee before returning to Port Angeles.
Devlin objected to McCown’s request for travel and a no-bail release. She noted that second-degree child rape is punishable by a maximum of life in prison.
“The state adamantly opposes him being allowed to drive out of the state, fly out of the state,” Devlin said.
Coughenour said he would not allow McCown to leave Western Washington.
“There isn’t any way that I can allow you to be released to leave this community because you’re going to be charged with a pretty serious crime within 72 hours, excluding weekends, and you need to be here for that (Tuesday) appearance,” Coughenour told McCown.
McCown represented himself in court Friday. He said he would hire his own attorney.
“I am shocked by these charges,” McCown said. “The court will find that they are completely untrue.”
During the police investigation, Martin obtained the court’s permission to record a June 13 telephone conversation between McCown and the alleged victim.
When confronted by the woman, McCown was alleged to have said: “I take full responsibility, it’s not your fault.”
McCown told the woman that he recalled molesting her once, according to the arrest narrative.
“Cory insisted that he didn’t remember doing it more than once,” Martin said.
“Cory did say that if he was having episodes of blacking out while being drunk that it was in the realm of possibilities that he did something to her more than once.”
Coughenour signed a sexual assault no-contact order preventing McCown from having further communication with the alleged victim. McCown was also ordered to have no contact with children under 16.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
