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Skykomish gym teacher accused of child rape pleads not guilty
A Skykomish K-12 gym teacher accused of grooming and sexually assaulting a student for years entered a not guilty plea in King County court. Prosecutors say the alleged abuse occurred during school hours at the small East King County campus, and the case is expected to go to trial next month.
SKYKOMISH, Wash. - A physical education teacher in Skykomish pleaded not guilty on Monday to multiple charges alleging he groomed and sexually assaulted a student for years inside a small K-12 school.
According to King County court documents, 62-year-old Daniel Lee Bubar is charged with second- and third-degree rape of a child and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
Prosecutors say Bubar worked as the P.E. teacher, soccer coach and athletic director at Skykomish K-12 School, a small school in eastern King County with about 50 students.
The backstory:
Investigators say Bubar targeted a student, giving them extra attention and gifts before sexually assaulting the child over several years, during eighth and ninth grade.
Court documents allege the abuse happened during school hours, in multiple locations inside the school building — including Bubar’s office, a stairwell near the gym and a closet.
Investigators also say Bubar gave the student alcohol multiple times a week.
According to the documents, concerns about Bubar’s relationship with the student grew among school staff and other students.
Court documents said the student later reported that the school’s principal required another student to be present whenever the two were together.
But according to court documents, the abuse continued even then.
According to the report, the student assigned to accompany them had autism and was distracted by headphones and a tablet when the assaults occurred.
What's next:
In court on Monday, Bubar’s defense attorney entered a plea of not guilty.
However, according to court records, Bubar initially told investigators he would not fight the charges.
In the documents, Bubar is quoted telling investigators, "Can you just take me to jail? I don’t want to go home. I can’t," and "I’m not going to get an attorney and deny charges."
Skykomish K-12 School was closed for the last week and reopened on Monday, according to a King County Sheriff’s official.
Bubar is held on a $750k bond. His trial is expected to begin next month.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.