Camano man accused of kidnapping, child rape

A Seattle teenager was kidnapped and raped by a Camano Island man at his home and then she and a friend were dropped off in Marysville, where the girl was raped again by a stranger, according to court documents.

The Camano Island man, 41-year-old Kacy T. Hoffer, made his first appearance in Island County Superior Court Tuesday. The second suspect is being investigated by an agency in Snohomish County and hasn’t yet been charged, despite being identified by DNA evidence, according to a report by a detective with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

Thursday, prosecutors charged Hoffer with kidnapping in the first degree, rape of a child in the third degree, sexual exploitation of a minor and unlawful imprisonment. The kidnapping charge includes a sentencing enhancement alleging sexual motivation.

Hoffer posted $100,000 bail Thursday afternoon and was released from custody.

The unlawful imprisonment charge is in regard to the girl who was not sexually abused but brought to the home, court documents indicate. The rest of the charges regard the girl who was raped twice.

The report by Detective Robert Mirabal with the Island County Sheriff’s Office explains that the two girls live in Seattle and one of them had been selling her underwear to Hoffer, who allegedly knew she was just 15 years old. The girl told investigators that he bought her a cell phone to communicate with him because the phone from her parents had parental controls. She said Hoffer asked her to send him sexual photos and videos through the Kik messaging app, and he sent her nude photos of himself, the report states.

After school on April 20, Hoffer picked up the girl and her friend, who is also 15, at a Safeway in Ballard and brought them to his house, Mirabal wrote. Hoffer took the girl into his bedroom and anally and vaginally raped her, the report states. Hoffer allegedly told her not to tell anyone or she would regret it, the report states.

Hoffer then dumped the girls in Marysville at about 4 a.m. They wandered around the area and took the bus to Skagit County and back before returning to Marysville. They were picked up by a stranger in a car and he raped the girl behind a warehouse, the report states. A security guard later gave the girls a ride to the downtown area of Marysville.

The girls eventually made it home and the father of the victimized teenager took her to Harborview Medical Center for a sexual assault examination. Results of a DNA test on the rape kit showed two male contributors. One of the contributors was identified as a Snohomish County man who had been in prison on an assault charge. The other contributor wasn’t in the database. Investigators obtained a search warrant to test Hoffer’s DNA, but the results aren’t back yet, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Law enforcement officers in Snohomish County are investigating the rape that occurred in Marysville.

Investigators traced Hoffer to his Camano Island home through his Kik account, the detective’s report states.

In court Tuesday, Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks argued that Hoffer’s actions met the statutory definition of kidnapping because he secreted the 15-year-old girl to a place where neither her parents nor anyone else knew where they were with the intent of committing a felony sexual offense.

Banks asked Skinner to set Hoffer’s bail at $500,000, pointing out that the defendant could face a lengthy prison term, which might make it more likely that he will flee. He also argued that Hoffer presents a risk to the community in general and specifically to one of the victims, whom he allegedly threatened.

If convicted of the charges against him, Hoffer could face 108-144 months in prison, plus an additional two years for the enhancement for sexual motivation.

Hoffer’s attorney, Nicole Nelson, argued that the judge should release her client on personal recognizance. She said his only criminal history is a DUI and that he has family in the Snohomish County area. She said he has a job interview he hopes to go to.

Skinner called the prosecutor’s bail request “extraordinary” and pointed out that court rules state that a defendant shall be released after a preliminary hearing unless the judge finds specific reasons not to. He said the argument that Hoffer is facing a long sentence wasn’t compelling, but he did find that he represents a danger to the community and the victim. He set Hoffer’s bail at $100,000, which he said can be a property bond.