Enumclaw’s Travis Martin Lear was just 25 when he committed his third and final sex crime. Now, he’s facing 25 years behind bars and possibly many more.

A King County jury found Lear guilty Aug. 6 of first-degree child molestation, the result of an incident that occurred in early 2013 at the Enumclaw library. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5 at Kent’s Regional Justice Center before Judge Chad Allred. Lear’s conviction came with a “predatory offense” stipulation that mandates a minimum incarceration of 25 years but allows a parole board to keep an inmate in prison for life.

Lear has been confined to the RJC since his arrest.

When Lear headed to the Enumclaw library on the afternoon of Jan. 30, 2013, he had twice been convicted of sex crimes and was a registered, Level 1 sex offender. But things would only get worse.

According to information taken from an Enumclaw Police Department press release and a “probable cause” document prepared by an EPD detective, the library incident unfolded like this.

Lear’s 11-year-old victim and her father were visiting the library. She eventually headed to the parking lot, got into their car and was having a snack. A man approached the vehicle and ordered the girl to walk to the library bathroom, threatening to kill her if she didn’t follow his orders. Fearing for her safety, the young victim complied.

The stranger, later identified as Lear, followed the girl into the bathroom and locked the door. He kissed her and molested her before becoming apologetic. The suspect said he didn’t like what he was doing but couldn’t control his “urges.” He told the victim she could leave, but not before issuing another warning: if she told anyone what happened, he said, he would kill her.

The victim ran from the building and located her father, who had been searching for her. She told her father what had happened and pointed to Lear as he was walking from the library building. The victim’s father confronted the suspect, who first denied the incident occurred and then stated he had been helping the girl find her abductor.

The suspect eventually fled, heading toward Cole Street. The arrest report showed Lear was residing at a downtown hotel not far from the library.

The father called 911 and reported the incident. Soon, he and the victim were meeting with police, describing the suspect. The detective working the case realized Lear had been in the police station an hour earlier, meeting with a Department of Corrections officer.

Lear had been meeting with the DOC due to his status as a registered sex offender. He had previous convictions for third-degree rape of a child and third-degree attempted rape of a child.

During that meeting, Lear had asked permission to visit the library, a request that was denied. Surveillance video of the police station lobby verified Lear was at the station and was also used to assist with the positive identification.

Lear was found at his mother’s Enumclaw home and arrested without incident.