Pasco child rape case dropped at request of victim, family

A child rape charge filed last summer against a Kennewick man was dismissed Thursday at the request of the victim.

Erik Martinez Iniguez, 33, had a hearing in Franklin County District Court for a judge to decide if the case should be moved to Superior Court.

Instead, Deputy Prosecutor Frank Jenny informed the court he was dismissing the case without prejudice. That means the case can be refiled at a later date after further review.

“I had a meeting with the victim and his family and they requested that it not be pursued at this time,” Jenny told the Herald.

Iniguez had been charged with one count of first-degree child rape.

The victim notified Pasco police last August that he had been a preteen boy in 2008 when Iniguez coaxed him into a small room, ordered him to undress and held the boy’s hands while raping him, according to court documents.

Iniguez also was investigated for accusations of sexual assault made by another boy, documents said.

Iniguez still has a pending case in Benton County Superior Court for two counts of indecent liberties.

In that case, filed in April, he allegedly sexually assaulted two women while they were passed out.

Those women, who came forward during the child rape investigation, gave details about incidents in 2013 and 2014, court documents show.

One woman said she told one of his family members about Iniguez forcing himself on her, and got the response that he “was drunk and didn’t know what he was doing,” documents said.

The charges allege that the women were incapable of consenting because they were mentally incapacitated.

Iniguez is out of custody on his personal recognizance. His trial in Benton County is Aug. 8

He works for the Kennewick School district as a plumber during the graveyard shift.

This story was originally published June 9, 2016 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Pasco child rape case dropped at request of victim, family."