Kennewick 18-year-old sentenced for rape at mom’s daycare
One day before his 18th birthday, a Kennewick teen pleaded guilty in juvenile court to raping a preschooler at his mother’s daycare.
Logan Santjer spent much of the past year facing charges in adult court after he lured a young girl into a room in December 2017 and sexually assaulted her.
While he was 16 at the time, his case was automatically moved to adult court because of his age and the seriousness of the allegations. He faced a nearly eight-year prison sentence if convicted as an adult.
As the trial drew closer, it became more likely the victim would face interviews from defense attorneys and would need to testify, Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Howell told the Herald.
“The victim’s family expressed a strong desire not to have their daughter further exposed to the criminal proceedings of this case,” he said. “Specifically, they requested that she not participate in a defense interview and requested that she not be made to testify at trial or any other hearings.”
Case returned to juvenile court
Santjer and his attorney wanted the case moved to juvenile court, and the victim’s parents agreed.
After an evaluation found Santer wasn’t likely to commit another sex crime if he received treatment, prosecutors agreed as well.
He pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree rape of a child in Benton-Franklin Juvenile Court.
He will serve seven to 10 months in a juvenile detention center.
Then, he will also spend two to three years on probation and need to register as a sex offender. He’s also required to get sex offender treatment.
Video surveillance showed Santjer beckon the girl to come into a playroom of Angie’s Kids Daycare, where he told her to close her eyes before he sexually assaulted her.
The girl told her parents that evening, and police were called the next day.
While there were video cameras in the playroom, an 8-minute portion of the recording was gone. Police believe it was deleted.
The daycare was initially issued a license in 2004 and had a capacity of 12 children up to age 13. It was closed the day after Kennewick police met with the teen and his parents.
This story was originally published March 5, 2019 at 4:59 PM.