Moses Lake man sentenced to 10 years in prison for child rape

WENATCHEE— A 23-year-old Moses Lake man was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting two children under the age of 10, crimes that occurred while he was a teenager working as their babysitter.

Kayden R. Chisum received concurrent sentences of 120 months for first-degree rape of a child and 67 months for first-degree child molestation in Chelan County Superior Court. Judge Robert Jourdan also ordered three years of community custody following Chisum's release.

The sentencing came after a November jury conviction, which followed an earlier mistrial in May when jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The standard sentencing range for these crimes is 120 to 160 months.

While state law allows for sentences below the standard range when crimes are committed by juveniles, Judge Jourdan found no evidence that Chisum's youth affected his ability to understand the wrongfulness of his actions.

The abuse occurred between 2015 and 2017, with the survivors reporting the crimes to their parents in early 2021. According to court documents, Chisum threatened to harm the children if they disclosed the abuse.

"To face a panel of 14 unfamiliar faces and recount some of the most terrible things people can imagine can be terrifying," said Micaela Meadows, deputy prosecuting attorney for Chelan County. "Then, to do it twice, is to display courage and conviction that few of us can imagine."

At the sentencing, the victims' mother addressed Chisum directly: "As my kids grew up, I warned them about the dangers of strangers, where now I realize I should have been warning them about the people we trust the most. You took the innocence from my kids before they even knew what innocence was, and that is something they will never be able to get back."

The mother described watching her children struggle with emotional challenges in the aftermath of the crimes, including shutting down and acting out.

Meadows noted that delayed reporting is common in cases of child sexual abuse, as survivors often fear for their safety or worry they won't be believed.