PORT ANGELES — Accused child molester and child rapist Douglas J. Allison has waived his right to a speedy trial through the end of August to allow an investigation to continue.
Allison, the former head teacher and principal at Mountain View Christian School near Sequim, is charged with eight counts of first-degree child molestation and four counts of first-degree rape of a child for alleged crimes that occurred during his classes.
The 55-year-old is being held in the Clallam County jail on $100,000 bail.
Allison’s attorney, Harry Gasnick of Clallam Public Defender, said Friday he received a plea offer from the state.
“Discovery is still coming in,” Gasnick told Superior Court Judge Christopher Melly.
Collecting evidence
Michele Devlin, Clallam County chief criminal deputy prosecuting attorney, confirmed that evidence from the investigation is still being collected.
Gasnick said he had 39 discs of interviews to review as of Friday.
“I think the phrase right now is binge-watching,” Gasnick said.
Melly scheduled a resolve/reset hearing for 1:30 p.m. May 20.
Allison is accused of committing the crimes against two female students, ages 10 and 11, during his classes at the small private school earlier this school year.
He was arrested March 29 after a preliminary investigation by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
All 12 charges contain a special allegation that Allison “used his position of trust, confidence or fiduciary responsibility to facilitate the commission of the current offense.”
The alleged crimes occurred at Allison’s desk while other students were studying, according to the affidavit for probable cause.
Allison was fired and replaced after the allegations surfaced.
Not-guilty plea
He pleaded not guilty at arraignment.
Devlin said the facts of the case are “impacting the lives of dozens of children.”
“There needs to be dozens of interviews done,” Devlin said in a 10-minute court hearing.
“I believe I received more discovery today. I know that I have some more coming in the next few days.”
Devlin said the state is investigating another potential victim from California, where Allison taught before moving to Sequim three years ago.
The state has issued “other search warrants from different agencies,” Devlin said.
“I can tell the court we are close,” she said.
Brian King, chief criminal deputy for Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, said Friday there was “not much news to report on the Allison case on our end.”
“No new additional victims in Clallam County,” King said.
“We are sharing our information with other jurisdictions.”
After Allison’s arrest, Mountain View Christian School hosted a parent-only workshop with representatives of Healthy Families of Clallam County.
Counseling sessions were offered for families who needed additional assistance, according to the Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which operates the school.
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
