Man Admits He Molested 8 Children Pleaded Guilty To 12 Crimes Including Rape; Girls And Boy Ranged From 3 To 11 Years Old

Wed., June 30, 1999

By Bill Morlin billm@spokesman.com

Accused bomb-builder and child rapist Gregory L. McCrea faces 26 years in prison after pleading guilty to a dozen felony sex crimes.

McCrea pleaded guilty Monday in Spokane County Superior Court to eight counts of firstdegree child rape, three counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Judge Robert Austin scheduled sentencing for September, but no exact date was set.

McCrea, 54, of Spokane walked with his head down to avoid TV news cameras as he was escorted back to the county jail, where he’s been held since his arrest on May 8, 1998.

He also faces a variety of federal firearms and child pornography charges and is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court next month.

At the time of McCrea’s arrest, police and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms found a huge arsenal of illegal weapons, including machine guns and hand grenades.

He initially came to the attention of authorities when the parents of an 8-year-old girl, who were McCrea’s friends, discovered their daughter had been molested.

Three additional state sexual molestation charges against McCrea were dropped because the crimes occurred beyond the statute of limitations, authorities said.

“This plea is acceptable and appropriate, and it protects the public,” Deputy Prosecutor Ed Hay said Tuesday.

With McCrea’s guilty pleas, the child victims will be spared the additional trauma of having to testify at trial. The victims - at least seven girls and a boy - ranged from 3 to 11 years old, the prosecutor said.

The crimes occurred between 1993 and 1998.

As part of the plea agreement, Hay said he will be recommending the high end of the sentencing range for the crimes. The sentencing range is 20 to 26-1/2 years in prison.

Hay also agreed to recommend that McCrea’s state prison time be concurrent with the federal sentence he is expected to receive.

As part of his plea bargain, McCrea will be allowed to serve his sentence in a federal prison instead of a state facility.

WHAT’S NEXT Sentencing scheduled for September. He also faces a variety of federal firearms and child pornography charges and is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court next month.

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