Former Redmond rock-climbing coach charged with raping 15-year-old girl

A former Redmond rock-climbing coach has been charged in Snohomish County District Court with three counts of third-degree rape of a child, accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in 2016 in Mukilteo, Bothell and Redmond.

Alexander Fritz, 28, is a former member of the USA Climbing team and worked as a coach at Vertical World Climbing in Redmond, charging papers say. Fritz, whose last known address is in North Seattle, was arrested Feb. 2 and remains jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail, jail and court records show.

Prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against Fritz on Monday, and on Tuesday a judge signed off on a sexual assault protection order that bars Fritz from having any contact with the alleged victim, who is now 21, or her family, according to court records. Should he post bail, Fritz was ordered to surrender his passport and to have no contact with rock-climbing facilities that serve minor athletes, the records show.

Fritz’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a Thursday email seeking comment about his case.

In a statement posted to its website and Facebook page on Feb. 5, USA Climbing said it has been cooperating with an investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a congressionally mandated investigative body aimed at preventing sexual and physically abuse of young athletes involved in regulated sports.

“USA Climbing is deeply disturbed by the allegations. As an organization that prioritizes the safety and protection of our members, we want to thank the U.S. Center for SafeSport and local authorities for their collaboration in promoting that goal,” Marc Norman, USA Climbing’s CEO, was quoted as saying.

SafeSport began its investigation into Fritz in June 2019 and USA Climbing suspended Fritz in December, according to a message thread on the organization’s Facebook page.

A SafeSport investigator contacted Redmond police in February 2021 and said she was investigating allegations of sexual misconduct after several athletes came forward and accused Fritz of having relationships with underage athletes, charging papers say. Athletes, former coaches, parents and other members of the rock-climbing community provided statements to the SafeSport investigator, who provided transcripts of their statements to a Redmond police detective.

Those statements revealed “a pattern of behavior” in which Fritz created a seemingly professional coach-athlete relationship with a young female athlete and simultaneously “bonded” with the girl’s parents before the relationship turned to secretive communications and led to an “inappropriate relationship,” the detective wrote in the charges.

“I believe it is likely there are more athletes who have been victimized by Fritz or more athletes who have realized Fritz’s grooming behaviors once the SafeSport investigation began,” the detective wrote.

The legal age of consent in Washington is 16. However, it is 18 if a sexual relationship is with anyone, including a coach or teacher, who is in a position of authority over a young person.

The charges filed against Fritz said he first met his alleged victim in 2015 at the Edge Fall Classic climbing competition in Canada, then regularly began communicating with her over social media and by phone. By March 2016, he began visiting the girl at her Vancouver, B.C., home and raped her, while telling the girl’s parents they were dating and in love, according to the charges. He apparently told the girl they could go public with their relationship once she had turned 16 or 18.

In spring 2016, she began visiting Fritz in the U.S. and told investigators he raped her at three locations in the area, the charges say. She described being “frozen” and “numb” and said Fritz gave her alcohol and pinned her down, according to the criminal complaint.

She also told the investigator Fritz manipulated her parents, who helped him buy a car and let him pay reduced rent at an apartment they purchased, say the charges. He also insisted on keeping their relationship secret “because it would ruin his career” and had the then-15-year-old “read a lot of legal things so she would know how not to incriminate him,” according to the charges.