Evan Benjamin Low of Aberdeen pled not guilty to one count of second degree rape of a child in Grays Harbor County Superior Court Nov. 21 and remains held in the Grays Harbor County Jail on $75,000 bail.

According to court documents, Aberdeen police received a report from Child Protective Services Oct. 14 about a possible sex offense. The caller said she had been told a 13-year old girl had been raped by Evan Low, age 20.

An officer contacted the girl and her mother. The girl reported she had run away from home early in October with her best friend, another 13-year old girl. The two took a bus to south Aberdeen, met up with Low’s brother and went to Low’s home. At the home, the victim reported she and Low’s brother began drinking hard liquor and said she had also ingested some methamphetamine. She said the party moved out to a van parked in front of Low’s house. Some time later she was alone in the van with Low and became ill. While lying on a bed inside the van she said she heard Low say “Hold on, let me get a condom.” The girl said she blacked out, and when she awoke Low was in the bed with her. He asked her age, she said she was 13 said Low replied “Oh, don’t tell anyone …” The victim said at the time she was unaware she had sex until Low’s brother told her she had sex with Low.

The victim’s friend convinced her to report the incident, which she did to a counselor and eventually police. The friend told police she witnessed intercourse between Low and the victim on the bed in the van. When interviewed, Low’s brother told police he warned Low the girl was only 13 and he could be charged with a crime if he had sex with her. The brother also told police he had not personally witnessed any sexual activity between the two.

When Low was interviewed by police he initially reported he had told the young girls to leave his home as they were too young to drink and that he had not seen the victim drunk and denied having any sexual contact with the victim. When the officer told Low he was going to contact the others who had been present, Low “became extremely nervous.”

According to the report, the defendant then said “I know I’ve done something wrong and I got to get past it.” He told the officer his father had recently died and he had a lot on his mind. The officer, identified as Detective Weiss, said Low then stated, “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” then provided a written statement in which he again denied having sex with the victim and did not know how old she was.

A warrant was issued for Low’s arrest. He was taken into custody Nov. 15 and booked for the charge of second degree rape of a child and possession of marijuana less than 40 grams and drug paraphernalia. His trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 10, 2017.