King County man admits to sexually exploiting teen girls across PNW with guilty plea Friday
A 28-year-old King County man pleaded guilty to federal charges Friday in connection to the sexual exploitation of minor teen girls across the Pacific Northwest.
James “Jake” Harrison Newcomer admitted to sexually abusing ten teens he met through social media platforms between February and April 2024.
In his encounters with the teens, Newcomer gave them drugs and alcohol and sexually assaulted them, according to court records. The teens ranged in age from 12 to 16, and were from King, Kitsap, Snohomish, Lewis, Clark, Thurston and Spokane counties as well as Woodburn Oregon.
He specifically pleaded guilty to one count of travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor and two counts of attempted enticement of minors. He did so as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
The first count is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. For each of the two other counts, Newcomer is facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison.
In a news release, the U.S. Department of Justice indicated prosecutors and defense will recommend Newcomer be sentenced to 17 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge John H. Chun is expected to sentence Newcomer on Nov. 17.
Newcomer was already a registered sex offender before he was charged in federal court. Court records show he was convicted of third-degree two counts of rape of a child in King County Superior Court in 2022.
He served 30-months-in prison followed by a period of community custody with the state Department of Corrections. As part of his supervision, he was required to wear a location monitoring ankle device.
On Jan. 19,2024, the location monitoring device lost its connection. Corrections officers attempted to arrest Newcomer six days later, but he was not found at his residence.
Court records indicate Newcomer posed as a minor teen various social media platforms, including Snapchat, BeFriend, Discord, Zangi and Yubo, as well as text messages.
He reportedly persuaded the teen girls to send his sexually explicit chats, photos and messages. He would then talk the girls into meeting him in person.
In some cases, he snuck into parent’s home to sexually assault teens. In others, he persuaded them to leave their homes.
For example, Newcomer communicated a then 14-year-old Thurston County teen via Yubo, Snapchat and text messages. He swayed the teen to engage in sexually explicit chats and eventually snuck into her bedroom through a window to engage in sexual intercourse.
Additionally, investigators found thousands of files of child pornography on Newcomer’s digital devices.
Law enforcement eventually located and arrested Newcomer in Kent on June 7, 2024, and he was returned to DOC custody for his violations.
The DOJ release says the case was investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies.
The involved agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Woodburn Police Department in Oregon, Marion County District Attorney’s Office, Auburn Police Department, Snoqualmie Police Department, Black Diamond Police Department, Des Moines Police Department, King County Sheriff’s Office, and Kent Police Department.
The Washington state Department of Corrections also assisted in this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecelia Gregson is prosecuting the case.
