Man arrested in 2013 child sex assault at Kent Dollar Tree, was JBLM soldier
KENT, Wash. - A man has been arrested in connection to a 2013 sexual assault of a six-year-old girl that happened in a Dollar Tree in Kent.
Nicholas Hargrave, 31, pleaded not guilty to first-degree child molestation after being arrested in Texas. He was a solider at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Back on May 19, 2013, police say a man entered the store while the six-year-old's mother was at the register, approached the child, and committed a sexual assault. The suspect fled before police arrived.
Officers secured the scene and obtained surveillance video, later posting pictures of the suspect. However, the suspect was never identified and the case went unsolved for several years.
A breakthrough in the case came on August 6, 2024, after Kent Police got a DNA match from the evidence collected at the scene.
The DNA match allowed them to identify Hargrave as the suspect, who had since moved to Texas. His last known residence was linked to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Hargrave was arrested in October 2024 through collaborative efforts between Kent Police and Texas law enforcement.
Hargrave was also recently convicted in Texas of a crime against children, which required him to submit his DNA to the database.
Judge Johanna Bender set Hargrave's bail at $100,000 and ordered him not to leave the state if he is able to post bail.
In court, a legal advocate on behalf of the victim's family requested no bail be offered, and questioned how it took this long for Hargrave to be caught.
"This man should not be allowed to remain free in society with this criminal history, any child is a target. He has not stopped," the legal advocate stated. "He walked into that store that day in 2013 and openly touched himself and ejaculated on our daughter."
Hargrave's defense attorneys argued he has changed, but the victim's family was not convinced.
"He's the sole provider. He's desperate to get back to his family," the defense said.
"We also learned he is a registered sex offender in the state of Texas and has recently as 2022, he was convicted of possession of child porn with another arrest," the prosecution responded.
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