Man charged with repeated rape of girl

A 30-year-old Spokane man was charged Wednesday with raping a girl when she was 12 and 13 years old.

James L. Pangburn, 1123 E. Kiernan, was charged in Spokane County Superior Court with one count of second-degree child rape and one count of third-degree child rape.

The charges add that the alleged crimes were aggravated by “an ongoing pattern of sexual abuse of the same victim” involving “multiple incidents over a prolonged period of time.” If a jury agrees, Pangburn could receive an above-standard sentence.

Court documents say Pangburn admitted to police that he had a sexual relationship with the girl for two years and that he believed she was pregnant with his child. Documents also say Pangburn said when he was arrested on Friday that he knew the girl was only a high school freshman.

The girl, now 14, told police she met Pangburn while she was a seventh-grader, according to court documents. She said she told him she was 16, and he told her he was 18; two months later they began a two-year relationship in which they had sex on “numerous occasions,” documents say.

The documents don’t say whether the girl actually is pregnant but note she told police she had only oral sex with Pangburn.

Police investigated Pangburn at the suggestion of her mother’s boyfriend.

Pangburn apparently has no Spokane County criminal convictions.