A man recounted to a Clark County Superior Court jury Tuesday the sexual contact he said he had when he was 16 years old with his former skills coach at Daybreak Youth Services’ now-closed Brush Prairie facility.
The now-20-year-old was the first witness to testify in Alicia Kaye Stowe’s trial for first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. The trial began Monday afternoon with jury selection.
During his testimony, the man said he had been to Daybreak twice as a teen for rehabilitation for his methamphetamine and marijuana use. He said Stowe, now 36, worked with him during both stays.
The Columbian is not identifying the man due to the nature of the criminal case and the fact that he was a minor at the time.
During opening statements, Deputy Prosecutor Melinda McMahon said during the teen’s first stay at Daybreak, his relationship with Stowe was professional and protective. But, she said, during his second stay, in March 2021, the relationship changed to unprofessional and sexual.
“Kay violated her position of authority to have sexual intercourse with (the accuser),” McMahon said.
Stowe’s accuser testified that he began flirting with her during his second stay at the facility. He also began writing her letters, several of which he read to the jury Tuesday, in which he professed his love for her and refuted the idea that she was taking advantage of him. In one letter he made references to his sexual desires.
Around the time he was set to be released from his second stay, he had sexual contact with Stowe, he testified, in one of the facility’s restrooms, where he knew there were no cameras.
During his opening statement, defense attorney Jon McMullen showed the jury a diagram of the wing in the Daybreak facility where Stowe’s accuser said the sexual contact happened. The diagram indicated where security cameras were located, including near the entrances to the wing and outside of the restrooms. McMullen said Stowe was trained on the location of the cameras, and she previously held a position there where she monitored the cameras.
“Any suggestion that this was some sort of hideaway spot … is really kind of absurd,” McMullen said.
McMullen pressed the man about his story changing.
When police initially contacted him as a teen, he denied having any sexual contact with Stowe. He said Tuesday he was scared that he’d done something wrong, and he felt protective of Stowe because of his romantic feelings for her.
McMullen said Stowe’s story has not changed, and she has maintained her innocence since the beginning of the case.
After some time, the man’s friends and family helped him understand that Stowe’s sexual contact was wrong, he testified. He then told law enforcement about the sexual contact with Stowe in the restroom, he said, along with subsequent incidents at hotels in Lacey after he was released from Daybreak.
McMullen questioned the man’s memory and whether his drug use could have affected it.
The trial is scheduled to last most of the week.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Alicia Kaye Stowe’s name.
