A Lewis County judge dismissed rape and incest charges this week against an ex-administrator of Cowlitz County’s juvenile detention facilities.
Superior Court Judge James Lawler tossed the charges against Chadwick Connors, who was accused of raping a female family member when she was a child more than a decade ago.
The Tuesday dismissal comes nearly eight months after charges first surfaced. Connors led the Cowlitz County Youth Center, a detention facility that houses young boys and girls, at the time. The accusations landed him on administrative leave and he was subsequently fired.
Prosecutors filed for dismissal but declined to specify why. Court filings suggest prosecutors felt the initial investigation missed some details and didn’t find enough evidence.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office started the initial investigation. However, given Connors’ work made him a familiar face in the local justice system, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office took over.
“We believe there’s still probable cause it happened, but we also believe that dismissal was the appropriate action at this time,” Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said in a brief phone call.
Prosecutors had alleged that Connors, 52, raped a 9-year-old female family member on two occasions between 2009 and 2011. They said the victim was asleep when the alleged incidents began.
Connors’ defense attorney, Angus Lee, said recent interviews with people tied to the case cast the accusations in doubt.
According to Lee, the accuser’s medical records showed they had been asked multiple times over the years whether they had ever experienced a sexual assault, to which they responded ‘no.’
Lee argued that multiple people lived at the house where the assault would have occurred, and a family member would have been in the room. Lee said those potential witnesses never saw anything.
“Their statements make clear that this simply could not have occurred without them observing it,” Lee said. “And they observed nothing. ... One of these individuals was in the room every night when this was alleged to have occurred.”
Meyer broadly declined to make a statement about Lee’s characterizations of the evidence.
“The defense can say whatever they like, that doesn’t make it accurate,” Meyer said.
In a Dec. 9 filing, Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Karin Phomma said attorneys involved in the case had conducted “several” interviews in recent months. Some interviews “involved statements on issues that were not addressed in the initial investigation.”
Neither sheriff’s office in Clark or Cowlitz counties responded to requests for comment.
The allegations against Connors hit close to the local criminal justice system. Besides Clark County investigators taking over the case, Cowlitz County judges and prosecutors ceded their roles to counterparts in Lewis County.
When the allegations first surfaced in April, some raised concerns that more allegations could follow given Connors’ work with youth. Shortly after, OPB reported that prosecutors and investigators had not linked any allegations to Connors’ work at the youth center.
Cowlitz County fired Connors after he was charged, according to Lee. The conditions of his release “interfered with his ability to do his job.” His last day was May 10.
Connors is reapplying for the job, Lee said, and is considering civil action against the county.