Washougal man pleads guilty to rape of a child

UPDATE: Larry Patrick Guenther was sentenced Nov. 28, 2018, in Clark County Superior Court to 11 years in prison, but his sentence was suspended after he was granted the Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative, and instead was ordered to serve a year in the Clark County Jail, online court records show.

A Washougal man and longtime local schools employee pleaded guilty last week to child rape, admitting to sexually abusing a boy under his care for years.

Larry Patrick Guenther, 58, pleaded guilty Oct. 19 to first-degree rape of a child and first-degree child molestation in Clark County Superior Court.

According to court records, the victim, now an adult, entered Guenther’s care as a child. Records described Guenther as a kind of “father figure” to the boy, who later disclosed the abuse to close friends.

According to the Washougal School District, Guenther worked at the district from 1993 to 2017, full- and part-time, as a bus driver, playground assistant, custodian and in food services. The Columbian’s archives show he also served as president of the Public School Employees of Washougal union for a time.

Guenther’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 28. State corrections officials will perform a presentencing investigation, as required for sex crimes, and make recommendations to a judge regarding length of sentence.

Guenther faces a minimum prison term of 10 years for the rape conviction and 5 1/2 years for the molestation conviction. Both carry lifetime maximum sentences.

Reporter Adam Littman contributed to this report.