PORT ANGELES — The state Supreme Court has declined to review the case of a Port Angeles man convicted of human trafficking, effectively ending his appeal and affirming his conviction.
A Clallam County jury found Patrick Callahan, then 61, guilty of one count each of first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor, second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor, third-degree rape and second-degree trafficking with sexual motivation in November 2022.
The jury also determined aggravating factors — that Callahan used a position of trust to facilitate the crime and that his offense was part of a prolonged pattern of sexual abuse against the same teenage female.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Basden sentenced Callahan to 20 years in prison on Jan. 26, 2023.
Callahan appealed to the Washington Court of Appeals, arguing that his conviction for human trafficking be dismissed due to insufficient evidence because it required a third person to be involved.
The Appeals Court affirmed the human trafficking conviction on May 19, 2025, and Callahan requested the Supreme Court review the lower court’s decision.
The high court’s denial last Wednesday effectively ended his appeal.
Callahan sexually abused the teenage girl who had lived with his family since she was 9 or 10 years old, according to the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The teenager testified at trial that she started living with Callahan’s family in California with her parents’ permission when she was in the third grade because of instability and abuse in her home. Shortly after she moved in with Callahan’s family, he began grooming her by having her sleep naked with him, rub his back and shower in front of him.
Later, she testified, he made her perform oral sex on him and eventually engage in sexual intercourse. If she refused, he would threaten to send her back to her parents, who lacked safe housing and necessities like running water.
The abuse continued when Callahan and his family relocated to Port Angeles about two years later, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.
In October 2021, the teenager left Callahan’s home without his knowledge and reported the abuse to the Port Angeles Police Department.
