Man sentenced for molestation in Pullman

A 34-year-old man from Mexico was sentenced to a year in prison for molesting a teenage boy from Pullman in Whitman County Superior Court Friday morning.

Juan Trejo Perez received the maximum sentence permissible by the state of Washington for third-degree child molestation. Whitman County Superior Judge Gary Libey handed down the verdict with no objection from the defense.

Trejo Perez was placed on probation for a year and ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Libey also approved a sexual assault protection order for five years.

Trejo Perez was arrested in October 2023 when a Pullman family told police he had been inappropriate with a 14-year-old boy. He had shown the minor pornography, initiated conversations regarding sexual activity and touched him below the belt, according to court documents.

Pullman police officers apprehended him at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport while he was pursuing a flight to Mexico, where he, his wife and children reside.

A trial was held in December 2023 that ended with a hung jury and mistrial. A second was scheduled for February this year, but was delayed when Trejo Perez posted bond and failed to reappear to court.

This led the court to initiate a nationwide warrant for his arrest. Days later, Pullman police found him hiding in a changing room at Pullman Building Supply.

A jury of 12 Whitman County residents found Trejo Perez guilty of molestation during a three-day trial at the Colfax courthouse in April. Many of the victim’s family members supported the boy and provided testimonies to the court.

Trejo Perez had discounted the versions told by 10 witnesses. He claimed the family had conspired against him and believed the incident was a series of coincidences not related to him. He contradicted himself on many points during his lengthy testimony that continued for two days.

During Friday’s sentencing, the victim gave a statement that was delivered by Whitman County Prosecutor Tessa Scholl. She said the victim had been heavily impacted by the incident, which affected his motivation to go to school and trust in others.

“I was in shock,” Scholl said, relaying the victim’s statement. “I lost my trust and now it’s hard for me to trust anyone.”

The victim pointed out Trejo Perez felt no remorse for what he did, and was hostile toward him and his family during both trials. He was worried he would not get justice after the first trial ended in a hung jury, and was nervous going into the second.

“I had to be confident,” Scholl said, again assuming the victim’s perspective. “He pleaded not guilty twice, and he could have been thinking and releasing the damage he did to me and my family. But he decided to lie, and target us as if he was the victim.”

Trejo Perez declined to produce a statement before the sentence was given.

Libey said Trejo Perez deserved more than what he was sentenced to, but the court was limited by the state.

“Trejo Perez violated the very fundamental principles of family trust,” Libey said, “by perpetrating a horrible sexual assault.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com