SEATTLE — Police arrested a Seattle firefighter for the second time in a week, this time on allegations of child rape.
Andrew James Sapier, 52, has been on leave since his arrest in Pierce County last week during an undercover sting targeting sex predators.
The new arrest is in connection to a case in 2019. Investigators say Sapier invited a 14-year-old to his home where the teen was allegedly given alcohol and raped.
Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said, in part, he is "deeply concerned about the egregious allegations."
Sapier was first charged on March 18 after allegedly trying to meet who he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sex in an undercover sting in Pierce County.
He was charged with two counts of attempted rape of a child in the second degree and one count of felony miscommunication with a minor for immoral purposes.
An undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old girl started chatting with Sapier on a social media app on March 15. The following day, Sapier made plans to meet up with the undercover detective and her friend. Probable cause documents show that at one point Sapier agreed to bring alcohol, drugs and condoms, although he later said he wouldn’t bring drugs or buy the teens alcohol.
The undercover detective directed Sapier to a home in Tacoma where he arrived with a duffel bag and was arrested.
In an interview with a Seattle police detective, Sapier said he saw a picture of the two girls he thought he was meeting, and they looked about 13 years old. However, he said he came to the house hoping they were not 13, and if they were, he would “take action from there,” according to probable cause documents.
Prosecutors say after the recording ended, Sapier said he “might have been willing to have sex with two 13-year-olds.”
Sapier was hired by the Seattle Fire Department in 1998.
A full statement from Chief Scoggins said, "I am deeply concerned about the egregious allegations brought against Firefighter Sapier. As first responders we take an oath to uphold the public’s trust, and these allegations go against every value we strive to uphold. I want to assure the community we serve that I will take every action within my authority to hold this individual accountable pending completion of our internal investigation. He will remain on administrative leave until our investigation is complete."
Washington State Patrol Sgt. Darren Wright said, "We're not looking for people that are just trying to do consensual adult activities. But if they're trying to harm children, we want to make sure it's clear that that's their intent. And then we want to catch them."
WSP said, since 2015, they’ve made 294 arrests through Operation Net Nanny, a joint effort of more than 30 police agencies, and have a 96% conviction rate, minus pending cases.
"That 96% conviction rate is impressive. We're proud of that," Wright said. "And we'll continue to make sure we have good, solid cases, make good, solid arrests, so that we can make sure that these children are protected."
Wright said Operation Net Nanny has yielded a variety of arrests, “There is no type. That's the whole thing about this particular set of crimes, there's no type of person, they come from all walks of life, all ages, and from all locations."
"It doesn't matter what line of work you do," Wright continued. "Doesn't matter where you come from, or who you are. If you are committing these crimes or attempting to commit these crimes, we will arrest you."
