PORT ANGELES — A man who was a 21-year-old senior at Lincoln High School when he had sex with a girl who was a 15-year-old freshman pleaded guilty to third-degree child rape.
Kristopher M. Seierup, now 22, will be sentenced Nov. 12 after entering his plea Tuesday in Clallam County Superior Court.
Seierup’s standard sentence range is more than 12 months to 14 months in prison and 36 months of community custody. His offender score is zero.
The girl “admitted to having sex with Kristopher on a trail behind Peninsula College” around May 31, 2018, according to a statement her grandmother gave authorities June 5, 2018.
“Things got romantic,” the girl told Port Angeles Police Officer Jeffrey Ordona, according to a probable cause statement Ordona authored.
The girl said the sex was unprotected, according to the statement.
Seierup admitted the two had intercourse, according to the statement.
“When asked, Kristopher told me he thought [the girl] was 15 years old and had the maturity level of a 15-year-old, or less,” Ordona said in the statement.
Seierup was charged June 25, 2018, with third-degree rape of a child.
The Class C felony is defined under state law as occurring when a person has sexual intercourse with someone who is at least 14 and less than 16 years old and the perpetrator is at least four years older than the victim.
The maximum penalty is five years and a $10,000 fine.
The age of consent in Washington state is 16.
Following his plea, Seierup was incarcerated in the county jail without bond pending his sentencing.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.