A homeless man who was arrested last weekend for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 5-year-old girl in a city homeless encampment in Seattle, Washington, was released on Wednesday night.
According to The Post Millennial, 46-year-old Viensavanh Boutdavong was arrested by Seattle Police Department officials on Saturday at Tent City 3, a city homeless encampment, after he allegedly raped a 5-year-old girl in his tent.
The Post Millennial reported that while Boutdavong was initially jailed on a $750,000 bond on suspicion that the homeless suspect had committed first-degree rape of a child and first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation, prosecutors failed to file charges by Wednesday’s deadline, resulting in the suspect being released due to the state’s law, which states that a suspect can only be held in jail for up to 72 hours without formal charges filed.
In a statement obtained by KOMO News, Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said, “If prosecutors could prove a child molestation or rape case or another crime beyond a reasonable doubt today, the case would be filed.”
“We are confident in the ongoing investigative work of Seattle Police, and King County prosecutors will continue to be in contact with the case detective,” the spokesperson added.
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According to police and court records obtained by The Post Millennial, a Tent City 3 resident informed law enforcement officials just after 9:00 p.m. on Saturday that Boutdavong was attempting to lure a 5-year-old child into his tent. The resident noted that the young girl “did not belong to him.”
After arriving at the scene, police officials discovered that the young girl had been reunited with her mother; however, the girl reportedly complained of pain in her vaginal area and claimed that she had been assaulted on Friday and Saturday.
Law enforcement officials discovered Boutdavong inside his green tent at the homeless encampment, which was identified by the young victim as the location of the two sexual assault incidents. According to The Post Millennial, the 5-year-old girl later received a medical evaluation and a sexual-assault exam at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
KOMO News reported that the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Seattle Police Department are continuing to investigate the case and are working toward a charging decision.
“This is not something that will be on the backburner for Seattle police or prosecutors,” McNerthney stated. “This is a very important investigation.”
