A Lopez Island man who had sex with a 14-year-old girl despite court orders prohibiting him from contacting her will likely serve at least one year in prison after pleading guilty to felony rape.
On May 4, Jason Michael Schible, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree rape of a child, a Class C felony, in San Juan County Superior Court. He will be sentenced June 29 and remains in custody on $15,000 bail in Island County Jail.
According to court documents, prosecutors will recommend that Schible serve 12-plus months in prison and up to four years probation, and that he pay $950 in fines and fees. He will also be required to register as a sex offender after being released from prison.
A Class C felony, third-degree rape of a child carries maximum penalties of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both; however the standard range of sentencing set by the state is 12-14 months.
Initially, Schible pleaded innocent in March. He was released on his own recognizance, but was also ordered to abide by a court-imposed curfew, have no contact with the girl or her family and not leave Washington State pending trial. He was subsequently taken into custody on a $15,000 warrant for contacting the 14-year-old despite court orders.
According to court records, Schible and the girl, a Lopez resident, gave conflicting accounts of their relationship when questioned — independently — by local authorities earlier this year. Her mother filed for and was granted a restraining order late last year which prohibited Schible from contacting the teen.
When questioned, the girl reportedly claimed that she and Schible had been romantically involved for nine months or more, were engaged, and that they had had sex in her bedroom on several occasions. He denied both her portrayal and of violating the restraining order.
Prompted by a complaint by the girl’s mother, local authorities launched an investigation after she claimed to have found evidence in January that the two had had sex while cleaning the girl’s room. She also claimed to have caught Schible crouching beneath the girl’s bedroom window the night after the two had had sex.
