PORT ANGELES — Aaron Michael Hahn changed his plea Monday to guilty on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Nine other counts including stalking and third-degree child rape involving an under-age Sequim girl were dropped as part of the agreement.
The sentence recommended by prosecutors is 31 to 41 months in prison, three years of probation and the requirement to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
Sentencing on Sept. 3
Formal sentencing will take place Sept. 3, deputy prosecutor William Payne said.
“We think the plea agreement is a fair resolution to the case, and I believe that everyone is pleased with the outcome,” he said.
Some alleged incidents that led to the nine other counts did not occur in Clallam County, but Clallam prosecutors still had the authority to file the charges under state law, Payne said.
The 29-year-old’s trial had been set to begin Monday.
Court documents show the girl told the Sequim Police Department in March 2008 that she had a relationship with Hahn that began online when she was 14.
According to the certification of probable cause, the girl’s parents found out about the relationship when she was 15 and tried to cut it off.
The girl told police that Hahn would scare her when she tried to end the relationship.
Hahn was served with a protection order in March 2008.
He was later arrested in Castle Rock in southwest Washington when Sequim Police arranged a false meeting with the girl.
“The Sequim Police Department should be commended on the work it did and the amount of time and effort that was put into this case,” Payne said.
“That effort is what got us to where we are today. The investigation on the case and the organization of the evidence helped bring it to a resolution.”
In a separate case, Hahn is still accused of and is expected to stand trial Aug. 24 for solicitation for murder.
Police allege that he attempted to solicit someone to kill the girl that he was accused of sexually exploiting.
Payne had previously motioned to join the two cases, but Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brooke Taylor denied that action.
Hahn is being held at the Clallam County jail in lieu of $1 million bail for the murder solicitation charge and $75,000 for the other charges.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@ peninsuladailynews.com.
