Peninsula Daily News and The Daily World of Aberdeen
State Sen. Jim Hargrove said he’s never too surprised when contentious issues crop up in the geographically diverse 24th District, but the four-term Hoquiam Democrat said he takes personal issue with challenger Larry Carter’s accusations involving a child rape law.
“It seems to me, with my background, the things I’ve worked on and the awards I’ve gotten, this is pretty thin as far as attacking me on this,” Hargrove said.
Independent candidate Carter of Port Ludlow has been airing cable TV commercials that criticize Hargrove as chairman of the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee for a 2011 decision on child rape prosecutions.
A bill that had passed the House 98-0 to expand the statute of limitation on child rape (House Bill 1657) was referred by Hargrove from the Senate to the Sex Offender Policy Board for study.
Carter has purchased ads about the decision, running on cable channels throughout the district, which includes Jefferson, Clallam and Grays Harbor counties.
“Not a day goes by that the statute of limitations does not expire for some victim,” Carter said this week.
One of the ads features a Spokane woman, Jenny Graham, a child rape survivor.
In one of the ads, Graham, who has been campaigning on behalf of Carter, expresses frustration at the delay in getting the bill passed by the Legislature.
“Sen. Hargrove is steadfast in his belief that punishing victims too traumatized to report rape in the manner he feels they should is reasonable,” Graham says in the conclusion of 14-page report she prepared on the bill.
Graham, 47, was abused by her father, but the complete police file was not made available to her until four years ago.
Carter blames Hargrove for stalling the legislation that would have allowed for prosecution of anyone who rapes a victim 18 years or younger at any time after the crime is committed.
“To me, that shows a lot of inconsideration for the House,” Carter said of Hargrove’s decision to refer the bill.
“To use an old political term, he threw the House of Representatives under the bus by refusing to submit that bill.”
Carter said Hargrove “refused to make any amendments to the bill” and then prevented it from coming to a Senate vote.
“I respect our senator in every measure but this one,” Carter added.
Hargrove responded by saying: “There isn’t anybody in Olympia, or anybody I know of any place, who is trying to protect sex offenders.”
“This is politics. They can say anything they want, and I just hope the public will take a look at what we did,” Hargrove said.
He said this week that a Sex Offender Policy Board recommendation is imminent.
The board is a panel of law enforcement, prosecutors, victims advocates and other experts “charged with protecting the public against sex offenders,” Hargrove said.
“The goal here was to get the benefit of their recommendation and their reasoning,” Hargrove said.
“Then we introduce the bill and have testimony; then the Legislature corporately decides whether to move forward.”
Hargrove, named Legislator of the Year by the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, said he referred the bill because of concerns raised by the coalition, other victims advocates and by the Washington prosecutors association.
He said they were concerned about the impact the change would have on the ability to convict offenders.
The Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys did not take a stand on the legislation.
“Primarily, it was because these cases are very hard to if they get very stale,” he said.
“You can’t prove them, and you can’t convict a sex offender, so we don’t get the bad guys
Hargrove also said he discussed the move with his Senate minority colleagues and other committee members.
“Any senator could have disagreed and moved to have pulled that bill to the floor, and no one brought it up,” Hargrove said.
“Our decision was that it was prudent to get recommendations from the experts first.”
Carter and Hargrove said they believe the policy board is not going to recommended abolishing the statute of limitations.
If elected, Carter said the first act he would take would be to resubmit the House Bill in the Senate.
“This is the biggest single issue,” he said of the election contest.
“The other big issue is that Sen. Hargrove believes that government is the solution to our problems, and I believe that growing our economy and getting new jobs are the solutions to our economic problems.”
Carter said he won’t be afraid to “stick my head up” on an issue because he plans to be a one-term lawmaker, if elected.
“I would like to see us return this seat to the district and let the people have a voice,” Carter said.
Hargrove received 65 percent of the vote in the Aug. 7 primary election to 35 percent for Carter.
On his website, Hargrove lists all the sex- offender policies he has helped pass over the past 20 years, including a provision that makes it possible for sex offenses to result in a life sentence for repeat offenders.
In 2007, the Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs named Hargrove “Legislative Champion,” and he also received the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence award that same year, among numerous similar honors.
Hargrove has raised $91,457 for his re-election, spending $61,656 so far, while Carter has raised $12,835 and spent $12,539, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.
Hargrove doesn’t plan a TV ad campaign, preferring to spend his funds in more traditional ways.
“A lot of people I’ve talked to are turned off by the attack ad stuff,” he said.
“None of my mailings or newspaper ads or radio ads refers to or attacks [Carter] at all. I’m just talking about what I’ve done, what my record is, the awards I’ve gotten and some of the things other people have said about me.
“I’m either doing a good job, and people are satisfied, or they’re not. We do the best we can,” Hargrove concluded.
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The Daily World of Aberdeen contributed to this report.
