A charge of first-degree manslaughter was filed Thursday against James T. Radtke, who is accused in the December shooting death of an Enumclaw teenager.
The victim was 16-year-old Kelsey Carter.
Carter had been reported as a runaway in October. Then, on Dec. 11, her mother spotted Carter with her 25-year-old boyfriend at a house in the 33900 block of S.E. Green River Headworks Road. She called 911 but before deputies arrived, two vehicles left the residence. Carter’s mother could not tell if her daughter was in one of the vehicles. It was determined the shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. and occupants of the residence transported Carter by truck to Enumclaw Regional Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival at about 8:20 p.m.
Deputies interviewed the three men at the house, including the boyfriend, but they said Carter wasn’t there. They would not give deputies permission to enter the residence to look for her.
Radtke was arrested July 19 at the Regional Justice Center after detectives asked him to come in and discuss the case. He was booked into the RJC jail for investigation of homicide. He was arraigned July 20.
Radtke remains in jail with bail set at $100,000. Arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 4 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center.