Lummi Nation man, registered sex offender arrested by FBI for new child sex offense

Nov. 05--A Lummi Nation man charged with sexual abuse of a minor had his first appearance in federal court Friday in Seattle.

Jason Little Sky James. Jr was arrested by the FBI and Safe Trails Task Force officers Thursday afternoon on that charge.

James has a 2015 conviction for a sex offense and is registered as a Level 1 sex offender. He was under court supervision at the time of the new allegation, according to federal court charging papers.

Information on that conviction was not immediately available.

James was previously arrested by Lummi Tribal PoliceOct. 11 on suspicion of second-degree rape of a child, third-degree rape of a child and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, according to court records. The case was later transferred to federal court.

James will be held at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac until his detention hearing on Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m., at which time a judge will decide what conditions, if any, he will have to follow if he is released.

In mid-September, a Lummi police detective received a report that a teenage girl had been involved in a sexual relationship with James, beginning in December 2016, court records state. During a forensic interview at the Brigid Collins Family Support Center, the girl told detectives she was in a sexual relationship with James and the two had discussed their age difference before engaging in sexual activity, the court records show. James is around 20 years old and the girl was 13 or 14 at the time, charging papers indicate.

Detectives seized the girl's cellphone and found she and James had communicated via Facebook messenger. The messages, which began Jan. 21 and continued through Sept. 26, discussed making arrangements "for, and references to, sexual encounters," between the two, according to court papers.

The girl disclosed during a follow-up interview with detectives that she and James had at least 10 sexual encounters, and that most of the events took place at her house or at his Kwina Road home on the Lummi Reservation, according to court documents.

James faces maximum penalties of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, supervision of at least five years up to life, a $100 mandatory special assessment and a $5,000 special assessment, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

Denver Pratt: 360-715-2236, @DenverPratt

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