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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Pullman music store owner convicted of molesting 11-year-old girl

A jury on Wednesday found a Pullman business owner guilty of molesting an 11-year-old girl last summer.

Victor P. Hudak, 52, was convicted of first-degree child molestation, according to a Whitman County Prosecutor’s Office news release. Hudak, owner of Atom Heart Music, faces 51 to 68 months to life in prison.

“The survivor’s remarkable courage and strength to testify at trial was essential in obtaining the conviction,” said Tessa Scholl, senior deputy prosecutor. “I will argue for the maximum penalty allowed by law.”

The conviction stemmed from July 24, when the 11-year-old girl and her 6-year-old sister were swimming in a creek near the City Playfield, the prosecutor’s office said. The girls saw Hudak above them on the bridge before he went below the bridge and contacted them. When he approached, the 11-year-old noticed Hudak had an erection.

The release said the girls went up to the playfield, where Hudak boosted the 6-year-old into a tree. While she was in the tree, Hudak reached over and touched the 11-year-old’s buttocks.

The girls went home and the older sister told her father and stepmother what happened, according to the prosecutor’s office. Hudak was booked into the Whitman County Jail the day after the incident and remained in jail Thursday without bail.

Another one of Hudak’s victims and a Pullman police officer testified at the trial about a 2019 case in which Hudak grabbed the then-14-year-old girl’s buttocks several times while she was shopping at Atom Heart Music, the release said. Hudak pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation.

If released from prison, Hudak will be required to register as a sex offender and be on lifetime supervision with the Department of Corrections, the release said. Whitman County Superior Court Judge Gary Libey will sentence Hudak Feb. 17.