Jury selected in molestation of teen trial

COLFAX — The jury trial for Juan Trejo Perez, who’s accused of molesting a teenage boy in Pullman, began Monday.

The scheduled three-day trial is taking place at Whitman County Superior Court. The day was spent selecting a jury of 13 Whitman County residents.

The jury will choose whether to convict the 34-year-old Trejo Perez of felony third-degree child molestation.

Trejo Perez began a trial in the case in December 2023 that ended with a hung jury and a mistrial. A second trial was scheduled in February, but he posted bail a week prior, was released and failed to show up to court, according to past reporting.

This led Whitman County Superior Court Commissioner Doug Robinson to initiate a nationwide arrest warrant, as Trejo Perez is from Mexico.

Pullman police found him hiding in a changing room at Pullman Building Supply days after posting the warrant. He was sent back to the Whitman County Jail and has been held without bail since.

Trejo Perez was originally arrested in October 2023. A Pullman family told police he had touched a 14-year-old boy below the belt.

Pullman police apprehended him at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, while he was allegedly trying to flee the country.

Washington state law prohibits judges and law enforcement from asking the defendant about immigration status.

More information will be made available as it is released.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.