Overview
- Kowalczewski, 35, entered a not-guilty plea in King County Court on Wednesday as the judge kept bail at $1 million with electronic monitoring, no-contact, weapons surrender and stay-away rules if released.
- Prosecutors say he targeted a 15-year-old at a Northgate bus stop on May 4, forced her into nearby woods, and she escaped and received a sexual-assault exam at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
- Police took him into custody hours later after firefighters reported burned clothing tied to the attack and investigators matched him on surveillance video.
- Court records show 28 arrests and 13 convictions over 19 years, and the Seattle City Attorney had admitted him to its Drug Prosecution Alternative diversion program one week earlier despite nine active warrants across five jurisdictions.
- Prosecutors charged first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping, saying that choice can bring harsher penalties under Washington law, as the family described life-changing trauma and officials faced calls to review diversion screening.