Guilty verdict in sex abuse case

WASHINGTON — Andrew Swailes, 33, of Riverside was found guilty by a jury on Nov. 5 of sexual abuse in the third degree, a Class C felony.

On April 30, 2020, a child alleged they were sexually abused by Swailes, the child’s uncle, after Swailes provided the child so much alcohol they became drunk.

At trial, Swailes claimed the child came onto him and that he stopped the child’s advances.

“I want to thank the jury for their thoughtfulness, courage and willingness to do justice,” Washington County Attorney John Gish said. “This was victim-blaming at its core, and this jury did not buy that defense.

“The verdict was the result of a total team effort and I want to thank the Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigator and victim’s advocate from RVAP for everything they did to get justice.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2022.