OLYMPIA — A former Shelton High School counselor accused of various crimes involving a student is being held in Mason County jail in lieu of $300,000 bail.
Samuel Caffey, 30, has been charged with third-degree rape of a child, third-degree child molestation and delivery of a controlled substance, according to court records.
Mason County deputies arrested him June 2 on suspicion of those crimes as well as first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct
Caffey attended his preliminary appearance in Mason County Superior Court on June 5. Judge Monty D. Cobb found probable cause for the alleged crimes and set the bail amount. Cobb also ordered Caffey to have no contact with the alleged victim.
The arrest came more than two months after deputies found him with a 15-year-old girl in a wooded area about a mile from her home on April 5. In a recent news release, the Sheriff’s Office said they could not determine whether a crime had been committed at that time.
The Shelton School District placed Caffey on administrative leave after the Sheriff’s Office informed them of the investigation. He was fired at some point after that.
Court records indicate the Sheriff’s Office has received additional complaints of sexual misconduct from other potential victims and minors. These victims have reportedly expressed to officials that they would fear for their safety if Caffey were released.
The Sheriff’s Office has said they are investigating these additional complaints in cooperation with the Shelton Police Department and Shelton School District.
Anyone with more information regarding these incidents or any others not previously reported is encouraged to file a report with the Sheriff’s Office by emailing sheriff@masoncountywa.gov, or calling 360-427-9670, Ext. 313.
The investigation
An affidavit of probable cause describes the investigation into the alleged crimes from the perspective of law enforcement.
The alleged victim’s mother called dispatch to request a welfare check on her daughter on April 5, according to the statement. She reportedly found her daughter about a mile from her home in a wooded area near a parked motorcycle.
She told police that she and her partner tracked her daughter to that location after growing concerned about her whereabouts. When she found her daughter, she reportedly emerged from the tree line and said she was there with an 18-year-old man who was hiding in the woods.
At one point, the mother’s partner reportedly fired a gun into the air to draw Caffey out. The Sheriff’s Office later collected a .40-mm brass shell casing at the scene.
Caffey eventually emerged after a nearly one-hour standoff with the parent. By this time, a deputy had arrived at the scene. Given the suspicious nature of the incident, the deputy detained Caffey until detectives arrived.
Detectives interviewed Caffey, who identified himself as a certified school counselor at Shelton High School for the freshman class. He allegedly told the detective that he had been meeting frequently with the teen and communicating with her on Instagram and Snapchat.
He allegedly said the teen’s mother had previously told him she was concerned about how often he met with her daughter, according to the statement.
He also allegedly said the school administration had previously confronted him about communicating with students on social media and told him to stop.
The statement says Caffey admitted to crossing boundaries and violating school policies with his actions. However, he reportedly requested an attorney when asked if he had a romantic relationship with the teen.
One detective later contacted Caffey’s wife. She allegedly told them she had concerns about Caffey’s boundaries with students and noted she knew he had inappropriately communicated with another student.
The statement says Caffey’s wife said she should have seen this coming because she was a student at Shelton High School when Caffey was a counselor there.
She reportedly added nothing inappropriate occurred while she was a student and she’s unsure if he ever told the school administration of their relationship.
In the weeks that followed, detectives extracted data from the alleged victim’s phone and social media accounts. They did the same with Caffey’s phone and accounts after being granted warrants.
The data revealed communications and notes that indicated the pair had developed an inappropriate romantic relationship since February when Caffey was 29, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the teen was enrolled in a long-term psychiatric treatment facility in eastern Washington. On May 30, the teen’s therapist spoke with a detective about what the teen told her because she is a mandatory reporter.
The therapist confirmed with the detective that Caffey and the teen started dating on Feb. 13 and had sexual relations on multiple occasions, including at least one incident where he raped her at her own home.
Additionally, the therapist said Caffey had bought the teen several gifts, including a vape pen and marijuana vape cartridges. Caffey also allegedly offered the teen “pills” at school that she believed were vitamins. It’s unclear what the pills were for.
On June 1, two detectives interviewed the teen. The statement indicates she corroborated what the therapist had previously shared and offered further details about their relationship.
In the course of this interview, the statement says the teen shared the name of another potential victim.
