A Seattle man accused of raping two women in a week was arrested Wednesday on charges filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office (KCPAO).
Myron Lee Jacobs allegedly raped the second woman May 1, three days after he was released from Seattle Police Department (SPD) custody despite being caught at the scene of the first alleged rape, according to King 5. KCPAO charged Jacobs with second-degree rape, third-degree rape, and unlawful imprisonment stemming from two separate rape investigations.
The first victim denied knowing Jacobs before the alleged April 25 assault. However, she did admit to first responders that she smoked narcotics with Jacob in her tent located within Seattle’s homeless encampment, reported King 5. (RELATED: ‘Trash, Human Waste And Needles’: Biden Ignores Environmental Crisis Facing Seattle During Earth Day Visit)
A man is accused of raping two different women over the course of one week. The second rape allegedly happened three days after he was released from jail. https://t.co/NNuthhDtIt
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) May 7, 2022
The victim fled from the same tent where officers found Jacobs naked. He was released 72-hours after his first arrest when Seattle police failed to submit the charging documents to KCPAO, according to King 5. Due to court rules, if the accused person is not charged with a crime within 72-hours, the court must release them.
Director of Communications for KCPAO Casey McNerthney said the second alleged raped occurred because SPD did not deliver the charging documents in time for the first alleged rape. “The really heartbreaking part is that in the time that he was released because the case wasn’t referred to us yet, there was a second rape that happened,” McNerthney told the outlet.
The May 1 rape victim told police that Jacobs told her he “knew he could get away with it” because he had already been “arrested last week for raping another transient female and was released from jail,” reported King 5.
Acting Sergeant Patrick Michaud admitted the SPD did not send the charging documents in time to prevent Jacobs’ release but blamed the department’s lack of personnel and funding as a major factor. The SPD’s sexual assault unit has only six detectives after hundreds of officers left, and the city cut the department’s budget, he told the outlet.
“If we had met the 72-hour window to get everything done, that person probably would have still been in jail,” Michaud told King 5. “That definitely falls on us if it’s not done within the 72 hours, and that’s something that we’ll take full responsibility for if it is a fault of ours.”
“It’s not something that we as a department are happy with, we know the community isn’t happy with, and it’s just one of those things that happens as we continue to lose officers, those cases continue to build up,” Michaud added.
Jacobs is being held at the King County Jail until his May 19 court appearance.
The Daily Caller has reached out to the Seattle Police Department and the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office about the case. The Seattle Police Department referred the Daily Caller to the King County Prosecuting Attorneys office.
The KCPAO has not responded.
Update:
“The case was not sent to us before his release, which was not our decision. We cannot file a felony case unless it’s been referred to us. The same day that it was referred to us, we filed the felony rape case,” Director of Communications for KCPAO Casey McNerthney told the Daily Caller.
“We know that Seattle Police are addressing staffing concerns, and the Seattle mayor and others are working to address those. We appreciate the work of the remaining Special Assault Unit detectives to get us these cases when possible for the filing of felony charges,” McNerthney added.