West Richland mother weeps at sexual exploitation charges

A West Richland mother who allegedly allowed a man to sexually assault her daughter, and participated in some of the acts, wept in court Friday.

Kristin Y. Yakel, 35, is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and attempted sexual exploitation.

Both felony charges include the aggravating circumstance that she used her position of trust to commit the crimes.

Yakel pleaded innocent Friday in Benton County Superior Court. Her trial is set for Dec. 10.

She was ordered to have no contact with the girl or with co-defendant Thomas M. St. George.

St. George, 34, received the same order at his Thursday hearing. He also has a Dec. 10 trial on two counts each of second-degree child rape and child molestation.

Prosecutors allege that it started with St. George groping the girl and progressed to inappropriate touching and rape.

He made the girl use sex toys, sometimes in public, telling her she needed to be comfortable with her body, court documents said.

The sexual abuse happened over a year, and was reported to police earlier this month, documents said.

Yakel, in her interview with police, allegedly admitted to finding St. George raping the girl at least twice and to going along with it.

St. George came under investigation twice in 2011 — first after his wife died in a house fire which he managed to escape, and later after allegations surfaced that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with the family’s babysitter.

He was not charged in either case.

St. George is being held on $500,000 bail. Prosecutors agreed to lower Yakel’s bail to $20,000.