Rochester business owner charged with sexual abuse of child under 12

By Emily Fitzgerald / [email protected]

The owner of Hive 5 Bees and Pacific Northwest Honey Company in Rochester faces charges of first-degree rape of a child in Thurston County Superior Court after the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into allegations he sexually abused a child under the age of 12.

The charge is a Class A felony punishable by up to life in prison.

According to court documents, Kevin Mills, 38, of Rochester, was arrested around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22 and booked into the Thurston County Jail.

To protect the victim’s identity, the Chronicle is limiting the publication of investigation details.

The sexual assault was reported on Tuesday, May 21, by a friend of Mills’ wife, who is also a business partner in Mills’ company, according to court documents. According to the friend, Mills’ wife “had a nervous breakdown about a year ago and came to her with some shocking information,” specifically that Mills was “having an affair” with a young girl. At the time, Mills allegedly confirmed the allegations were true and “said his life was in their hands for all they knew,” court documents state.

The friend told authorities that at the time she learned of the sexual assault, she “knew it was a serious matter but wasn’t sure how to report it without physical evidence,” according to court documents.

At about the same time, on April 18, 2023, Mills and his wife reported the sexual assault to a pastor at Rochester Life Assembly of God, who did not report it to authorities.

When questioned by a deputy, the pastor responded that he “supported and prayed with them about it” and met with them two or three times over the next year “to make sure the behavior had stopped.” But he said he knew “no details about the sexual allegations” and was “completely shocked and never saw anything that led him to believe the acts were true,” according to court documents.

Mills’ wife later told investigators that at the time she learned of the sexual assault, she was “fearful of losing her home, her business and her family” and was “weighing her options on how to proceed,” according to court documents. She reported that she “took other measures to protect (the victim), such as limiting the amount of time they spent alone together and checking in with (the victim) frequently.” She told investigators, according to court documents, that “she never told (the victim) not to talk to anyone, but mentioned that (Mills) would go to jail if other people found out.”

Mills’ wife allegedly told the friend at the time “that she would lie about the allegations” if they were reported. The next year, the friend reported that she and her husband “would monitor closely and look for signs of further abuse.”

They reportedly saw “something suspicious” on May 3, 2024, and the friend believed it was Mills attacking the victim under a blanket.

When a Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy asked why she didn’t report it when it happened, the friend allegedly said she “still has no physical evidence” and is “still trying to figure out what to do without evidence.” When the deputy “raised concerns…about the failure to report possible child abuse,” the friend allegedly said she had “experienced a similar incident” with another child, “and the system failed her without evidence.”

After speaking with several people who knew the Mills family and the victim, as well as a private investigator, the girlfriend and her husband reportedly spoke with Mills and his wife on the phone on May 20, 2024.

During the phone call, “a scenario was presented with two options: either Kevin turns himself in or they continue to seek counseling from (their pastor) while the family is still living together,” court documents state. When the friend “insisted that Kevin should go to jail,” Mills’ wife reportedly “started crying” and told the friend that “their family had had the best year of their lives and she would tear the family apart if she turned Kevin in,” court documents state.

After the conversation, the friend and her husband decided to “step down as partners in Hive 5 Bees and Pacific Northwest Honey” while Mills worked to transfer everything in the company into his wife’s name, court documents say. “They knew law enforcement had been contacted and wanted to get everything in order before Kevin went to jail,” court documents say.

A deputy arrived at Mills’ Rochester apartment around 11 a.m. on May 22, “believing Kevin would not be home at the time,” according to court documents. However, Mills was at the apartment and reportedly “said he knew why (the deputy) was there and invited him in.” He was then arrested.

He was arraigned in Thurston County Court on Thursday, May 23, and released on bail on May 24.

To protect the victim, there is a restraining order. His release conditions prohibit him from leaving Western Washington.

The arraignment is scheduled for June 4 at 9:00 a.m.

In addition to being co-owner of Hive 5 Bees and Pacific NW Honey Company, Mills is a well-known gospel singer and former owner of the Mills Diner in Rochester.