Bail remains at $1 million for a suspect accused of forcing a 15-year-old girl into the woods and raping her in Seattle.
SEATTLE — A victim advocate who spoke on behalf of a teen girl who was allegedly raped in Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood said the incident has turned the family’s life into a “living hell,” and the 15-year-old’s sense of public safety has been “shattered.”
“She is now forever scarred by this, and her family’s life will never be the same,” advocate Julia Roman told a King County judge at an arraignment hearing Wednesday. “If he will do this to her, he most certainly will do it again to somebody else.”
Joshua Kowalczewski, 35, pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping in connection to the May 4 incident. Kowalczewski is accused of dragging a 15-year-old girl into a wooded area and raping her.
RELATED: Suspect charged with 1st-degree rape instead of child rape in attack on 15-year-old. Here’s why
Speaking on behalf of the 15-year-old’s parents, Roman said the girl has been independent and not afraid to go public places.
“She is full of life, love, hope and promise,” Roman said. “She is a child, and he didn’t care.”
On May 4, police said Kowalczewski approached the 15-year-old girl at a bus stop near Fifth Avenue Northeast and Northeast 103rd Street while she was on her way to school and asked her questions, including her age, before he forced her into the woods.
Kowalczewski is accused of forcing her to have oral sex before she screamed and was able to escape.
A nearby construction worker heard the screams and called 911, prosecutors said.
Kowalczewski was charged May 6, and bail was set at $1 million, which was the amount prosecutors requested.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Additional resources are available on the Washington State Department of Health’s website.
Additional resources are available through the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center at kcsarc.org.
To ensure diverse coverage and expert insight across a wide range of topics, our publication features contributions from multiple staff writers with varied areas of expertise.
