House Arrest Continues For Silent Teen

House arrest continued Wednesday night for a 15-year-old girl who has repeatedly refused to testify against her father in a rape trial in Pierce County Superior Court.

The teen will return to court this morning under judge’s order to be asked once again whether she will testify, said her lawyer, Sybil Vitikainen.

The girl said in June that her father, a metal worker with an IQ of 69 and the intellectual capacity of a 9-year-old child, raped her on three occasions between 1993 and early 1995.

She later recanted that allegation.

The girl was arrested as a material witness Aug. 9 after prosecutors heard she might flee to California. She remained at the county’s juvenile lockup until Friday. Since then the judge has kept her under house arrest at a friend’s house.

The father’s defense lawyer, Sean Wickens, said the girl concocted the original story because she was angry that the family was moving to Idaho and because her father had shot her dog for killing his pigs.

Wickens said the girl is refusing to testify to stop the prosecution of her father.