Centralia woman accused of sexually abusing a child under 12 between 2017 and 2020

By Emily Fitzgerald / [email protected]

A Centralia woman accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a child under the age of 12 between May 2017 and May 2020 now faces felony charges in Lewis County Superior Court.

On May 30, 2024, 21-year-old Emilia Perez-Mejia was charged with four counts of first-degree rape of a child and two counts of first-degree child abuse after Centralia police completed a year-long investigation into a report of possible sexual misconduct, court documents show.

A staff member at a Centralia elementary school reported the misconduct on March 23, 2023, after the child’s parents raised concerns about the child’s mental well-being during a parent-teacher meeting.

According to court documents, several months after the school employee reported the incident to authorities, the child agreed to speak with investigators about the abuse. A forensic interview with the child took place on June 27, 2023.

According to court documents, Perez-Mejia denied the allegations when questioned by a Centralia officer who served her with legal papers on July 23, 2023.

According to court documents, she allegedly said she “believed (the child’s parents) were the reason (the child) said she had sexually touched (the child).”

The Lewis County Superior Court issued a $100,000 warrant for Perez-Mejia’s arrest that same day, May 30, 2024, according to court records. Lewis County Jail records show that Perez-Mejia was arrested and jailed on that warrant at 12:55 a.m. on Sunday, June 16, after being stopped in Chehalis Municipal Court on an unrelated DUI and other charges.

All charges against Perez-Mejia are Class A felonies, punishable by up to life in prison.

Bail is set at $50,000. The victim has a sexual assault protection order.

The arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, June 20.