Correction: James Harrison Newcomer was originally identified as a Black Diamond man. Newcomer is now living in Seattle as of most recent reports. The article has been updated.
A former Black Diamond man faces a federal complaint alleging a sex offense against a minor after federal attorneys say he sexually assaulted three teenagers from Auburn, Snoqualmie and Oregon state while on electronic home monitoring.
U.S. attorneys filed a criminal complaint on June 17 charging James Harrison Newcomer, currently a Seattle resident, with travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor. The complaint stated that Newcomer traveled from King County to Woodburn, Oregon, to sexually assault a teenager in April 2024, with case documents alleging Newcomer had sexually assaulted two minors from Auburn and Snoqualmie.
Newcomer has also been registered with the first name Jake.
Newcomer, in the time frame of the sexual assaults, was on electronic home monitoring with an ankle bracelet following a 30-month prison sentence for two counts of rape of a child from an April 2022 conviction following a guilty plea, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to the federal complaint, Newcomer’s ankle monitor lost connection on Jan. 19, with corrections officers having found he left the residence when they arrived to arrest him.
According to the Department of Justice, between February and April 2024, Newcomer connected with the teenagers — ranging in age from 14- to 16-years-old — through Snapchat, a social media platform, and arranged in-person meetings where he provided the teenagers drugs and alcohol and sexually assaulted them.
Law enforcement arrested Newcomer in Kent on June 7, 2024, transferring him into federal custody on June 20. Newcomer appeared on June 20 in the U.S. District Court in Seattle.
Multiple local and federal agencies including the Auburn Police Department, Snoqualmie Police Department, Kent Police Department, FBI, Oregon Police Department, and more continue investigation into the case.
Back when he was a Black Diamond resident in 2020, King County prosecutors filed charges against Newcomer after a Black Diamond Police Department investigation found Newcomer raped a 15-year-old girl. He pled guilty in 2022.
Editor Ray Miller-Still contributed to this report.
