Thurston County man sentenced for molesting girl, 7

A Thurston County man was sentenced Monday to 89 months to life in prison for molesting a 7-year-old girl.

Jorge Luis Rodriguez, 30, appeared in shackles Monday in Thurston County Superior Court. He had pleaded guilty in October to two counts of first-degree child molestation.

Rodriguez was arrested in March 2014 after a relative made a report to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court documents, the victim and her older brother were home alone with Rodriguez when he took the girl into a bedroom and locked the door. The brother opened the door to discover the girl was naked on the bed, and reported that Rodriguez was naked below the waist and having sex with the girl.

According to court documents, the victim had experienced several incidents of abuse by Rodriguez while living in a “chaotic household” rife with domestic violence and physical and emotional abuse. The girl and her brother now reside with their grandparents.

The sentencing range called for a minimum of 67 to 89 months in prison along with lifetime probation and a lifetime no-contact order with minor children. Rodriguez must also register as a sex offender.

At Monday’s hearing, deputy prosecutor Megan Winder described Rodriguez’s actions as “heinous” and said the sentence “doesn’t come close to what it should be for what he did to this girl.”

Members of the victim’s family also gave emotional testimony Monday about the damage Rodriguez has done and their fear that he could cause more harm. One relative urged the judge to “keep him away from kids as long as you possibly can.”

Rodriguez, who declined to address the court, has denied touching the girl inappropriately, according to documents.

After issuing a sentence at the high end of the range, Judge Sam Meyer commented about Rodriguez’s apparent lack of remorse. “Forming relationships with children is just not going to be a part of your life,” the judge told Rodriguez.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 7:19 AM with the headline "Thurston County man sentenced for molesting girl, 7."