THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A sex offender was arrested Tuesday after allegedly luring women in downtown Olympia and sexually assaulting them.
Now, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who may have survived a similar situation to come forward.
Over the past few months, detectives investigated two reports of sexual assault with similar circumstances, according to the sheriff's office. The suspect, a registered sex offender in another county, allegedly approached the women in Olympia and lured them to what he said was his home before sexually assaulting them. He would drive them away from the location.
Information provided by one of the survivors helped detectives link the two cases to 43-year-old Jerome Lamont Shumate, who is being held on $750,000. Shumate was charged May 3 with two counts of first-degree rape, one count of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree assault.
"The state cannot put it any more strongly than Mr. Shumate presents an extreme danger, both to these two individuals and to the rest of the community," said Daniel Scida, Thurston County deputy prosecutor. "Mr. Shumate appeared to be targeting vulnerable individuals in vulnerable states. These women were on their own, downtown, that Mr. Shumate made certain representation to get them into his vehicle, took them back to his house, and then violently, violently assaulted them."
Shumate was previously convicted of third-degree rape in 1998 and again in 2021. He was also convicted of third-degree rape of a child in 2021. According to his criminal history from the Washington State Patrol, he has a total of five felonies, which include second-degree assault. He has a misdemeanor conviction of fourth-degree assault.
Kitsap County prosecutor Chad Enright said Shumate was released from state prison in late September 2023.
He was sentenced to five years after pleading guilty in 2021 to charges of rape and rape of a child filed in 2019.
Enright said upon his release, Shumate was supposed to register an address with the county where he was living.
Records showed Shumate registered as a transient sex offender in King County, but Enright said at the same time he applied for housing in Kitsap County.
Shumate was arrested in February on a felony failure to register as a sex offender charge after investigators found him living in a Bremerton home.
Enright's office wanted Shumate held on $50,000 bail, but a Kitsap County judge said bail should be at $10,000. Shumate bailed out on March 4.
The first of the two Thurston County women said Shumate raped her on October 8, just days after he was released from state prison.
The second woman said Shumate raped her March 24, 20 days after Shumate was bailed out of the Kitsap County jail.
Enright said his office raised concerns about Shumate's potential to re-offend after learning he lied about his address.
"He knew the law and knowingly and intentionally was violating it," Enright said. "Given his level III status, and intent to deceive law enforcement about his address, I think he was a risk of violence."
Given the nature of the assaults that began in downtown Olympia, it's possible there are other survivors, according to the sheriff's office. Anyone with information is asked to contact a deputy via dispatch at 360-704-2740 or email detectives@co.thurston.wa.us.
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