SNOHOMISH — The jury trial began last week of Snohomish brewer Frank Sandoval, who is now accused of molesting two women and attempting to molest another while they were under 18.
As of press time, the trial in Snohomish County Superior Court was expected by prosecutors to take at least a few more days beyond Nov. 1.
Sandoval was initially charged with molesting a pre-teen family friend who did jobs in the cannery of SnoTown Brewery a few years ago. He pleaded not guilty to that in September 2022.
The two additional women came forward in late 2022 stating Sandoval molested or tried molesting them. This required delaying the trial to let the new allegations be investigated and examined, a prosecutor’s report says.
The women who came forward said their incidents happened about 10 years ago when they were teens and he was in his mid-30s.
Three weeks ago, prosecutors filed the additional charges seeking to pin Sandoval, 49, with three counts of second-degree child molestation and two counts of immoral communication with a minor.
The case of attempted molestation may have passed the statute of limitations.
Jurors have been instructed to decide on two counts of second-degree child molestation and one count of immoral communication with a minor.
The pattern is of unwanted fondling.
The first girl, who is still a teenager, told police that he’d pull her into his lap without asking, and had put his hand up her shirt. Sandoval denied touching the girl’s private parts to police. He acknowledged that “while sitting on his lap, he had touched her hips, her stomach and had his arm around her,” a Snohomish Police detective reported.
Sandoval is still listed in state records as a co-owner of SnoTown Brewery on Second Street.
Two more women come forward in Sandoval case
SNOHOMISH — Two additional women have come forward stating they were molested by a local brewer about 10 years ago when they were teens and he was in his mid-30s. The trial is started Friday, Oct. 27.
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