PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man is set to be arraigned July 10 after he was indicted late Wednesday by a federal grand jury on two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, who later attempted to kill himself, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Briceson R. Standley, 34, has been held at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac, south of Seattle, since his arrest on June 15.
Arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. July 10 in F Courtroom before Judge Theresa L. Fricke, said Emily Langlie, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle.
Court records said Standley met sometime between April 1, 2022, and June 4, 2022, with a 15-year-old boy with whom he had communicated on a social media app.
A criminal complaint filed June 13 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma alleges the first count involved a sexual act or attempted sexual act (contact between mouth and penis) sometime between April 1, 2022, and June 4, 2022.
The same complaint states the second count alleges a sexual act or attempted sexual act (contact between penis and anus) sometime between April 1, 2022, and June 4, 2022.
“In the first encounter, Standley sexually molested the youth,” prosecutors said in court documents.
“In the second encounter, Standley allegedly carried a machete and a pocketknife. Standley allegedly raped the youth.”
“The 15-year-old ceased any communication with Standley and ultimately reported the conduct to a health care provider,” the press release stated.
According to the criminal complaint, the abuse was uncovered Nov. 14, 2022, when the teen ended up at Seattle Children’s Hospital after taking a potentially lethal dose of painkillers on Nov. 7, 2022. After he told a nurse practitioner about the assault, the nurse practitioner called the Port Angeles Police Department to report it.
After a U.S. Park Service investigation, it was determined the alleged assaults occurred in Olympic National Park, which gives federal courts jurisdiction in the case.
Sexual abuse of a minor under federal law is punishable by an unspecified fine, 15 years imprisonment, or both.
The case was investigated by the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service and Port Angeles Police Department, according to the release.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@soundpublishing.com.
