Bail set at $75,000 for Olympia child rape suspect

A Thurston County judge has set bail at $75,000 for Jacob Twardowski, a 20-year-old Olympia man accused of raping a girl several times over the course of multiple years.

Twardowski appeared before Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to seven criminal charges, including second-degree rape, first-degree child rape, second-degree child rape, first-degree child molestation and second-degree child molestation.

“It appears that there are very few sexual assault crimes that Mr. Twardowski has not been charged with,” said deputy prosecutor Heather Stone.

She recommended that bail be set at $75,000 based on the seriousness of the charges.

Price said he found the allegations in the case “deeply concerning,” and that a high bail was appropriate. He accepted Stone’s recommendation.

He also ruled that if Twardowski posts bail, he won’t be released unless he has a verified address.

According to court documents, Twardowski has been transient since late 2014 when the victim reported the alleged sexual assault. The victim, a girl, reported that she was 10 years old when the sexual assaults began.

Office of Assigned Counsel attorney James Shackleton represented Twardowski at Tuesday’s hearing, and said most of the alleged assaults took place while Twardowski was a juvenile. He also said that Twardowski has no criminal history.

Twardowski’s trial was scheduled for the week of May 16.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Bail set at $75,000 for Olympia child rape suspect."