Jury convicts Moses Lake man of child molestation

EPHRATA — A Moses Lake man was convicted last week after a jury found him guilty of molesting two children in 2003.

Shawn Wayne Beale, 34, was found guilty in Grant County Superior Court Jan. 25 of three counts of first-degree child molestation.

According to court documents in the case, Beale molested the children during a period from June 1 to Aug. 15, 2003.

Beale was tried for five counts of sexual assault during the trial, including four counts of child molestation and one count of first-degree rape of a child.

Four of the counts, including the first-degree rape of the child, involved a child who was 4 years old and living with Beale at the time of the crime. The final count involved an 11-year-old family member.

The jury in the case was instructed to count each individually and not let that decision effect any other count, investigators in the case said. Jurors acquitted Beale on the rape charge and one count of child molestation, both involving the 4-year-old.

The maximum penalty for each charge is life imprisonment and a $50,000 fine, but prosecuting attorney Stephen Scott said the standard sentencing range in the case will be between 98 and 130 months. Beale will remain under what is called community supervision for life.

Under Washington law, a defendant charged with first-degree child molestation is accused of having contact with a child under the age of 12. The crime is a Class A felony.

This is the second time Beale has faced similar charges, he was acquitted of sexual misconduct in another case in 2003.

Judge Evan Sperline commended the jurors in the case in a letter accompanying the case file, telling them that it was obvious the seriousness with which they took their office.

Sentencing in the case is scheduled for March 8, and a pre-sentence investigation has been ordered in the case. Beale was booked into the Grant County Jail Jan. 25, and will remain in jail custody until sentencing.