3 in assault case charged with sex crimes

PORT TOWNSEND — Three people were charged Tuesday with the felony sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl after an investigation into the revenge beating of two of them by a relative of the girl and another man last weekend.

Donald Hassett, 30, Harriet Smith, 39, and Jaren Hackman, 22, all of Port Townsend, were each charged with indecent liberties with a minor during an arraignment in Jefferson County Superior Court.

The felony charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Hassett also was charged with furnishing liquor to a minor, a gross misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Prosecuting Attorney Juelie Dalzell said Tuesday she considered the three a danger to the community.

“The victim is 14,” Dalzell said. “We recognize that she looks like she is 10-years old.”

Superior Court Judge Craddock Verser set bail at $200,000 each.

Jefferson County Undersheriff Tony Hernandez said that investigators found that Hassett had brought two teenage girls, a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old, to a barbecue at a house he was renting on Friday.

The 16-year-old girl told investigators that there were several people at the house when they arrived, that Hassett offered them alcohol, and that she saw sexual touching between Hassett and the 14 year old, Hernandez said.

Both Hassett and Hackman admitted touching the girl sexually, Hernandez said, while Smith denied any contact with the teen.

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