Washington Man Accused of Raping 12-Year-Old Idaho Girl After Meeting Her on Dating App: Court Documents

Law enforcement officials in Washington say a 20-year-old man allegedly picked up a 12-year-old girl in Idaho and brought her back to his home and raped her.

On March 20, deputies from Benton County Sheriff’s Office went to the home of Austin Holbrook in Kennewick, Washington, after learning a missing or runaway juvenile from Nampa, Idaho, was possibly at his residence, according to court documents obtained by KNDU-TV.

Once inside the home, deputies found the missing 12-year-old and placed her in protective custody until her mother could get there.

Officials said Nampa and Kennewicj are about 270 miles away from each other.

Court documents allege Holbrook told police he met the girl on a dating app and they started messaging.

The victim allegedly snuck out of her house and left with Holbrook, who picked her up sometime around March 14 or March 15.

The child told police that she and Holbrook had sex several times and that he was also messaging some of her friends, authorities said.

Holbrook claimed the victim told him she was 18 years old.

He reportedly hid the girl in his room at his parents’ house. The victim appeared malnourished and dehydrated.

Holbrook was arrested and charged with two counts of rape of a child, and one count of unlawful imprisonment, officials said.

He was booked into the Benton County Jail and was being held on a $500,000 bond.

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After his arrest, Nampa Police issued an alert for parents of teenagers and preteens advising them about Holbrook, warning, "We have reason to believe juveniles that have been talking online with Holbrook may have been pressured to meet up with him, and our greatest fear is he has convinced some to actually do just that."

Police officials alleged that Holbrook “preyed on a Nampa child, and that interaction started with him engaging in online conversation.”