Court records detail the similarity of the two alleged rapes by same suspect
A 43-year-old man accused of raping two people he lured from downtown Olympia is being held in the Thurston County jail in lieu of $750,000 bail.
Jerome Lamont Shumate attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Wednesday. Sheriff’s Office detectives and elements of the county’s SWAT Team arrested Shumate on Tuesday.
The Sheriff’s Office alleges Shumate approached people in downtown Olympia and lured them to a residence on Quinault Drive Northeast near Lacey where he raped them at knife-point, according to a Wednesday news release. His arrest reportedly occurred after a months-long investigation and the county Narcotics Task Force confirmed his location at the residence.
Judge Anne Egeler set the bail amount after finding probable cause for two counts of first-degree rape. In doing so, she determined the court could not be sure he would reappear in court, he may interfere with the case and there existed a substantial danger he may commit violent crime if released.
The jail log initially indicated detectives arrested Shumate on suspicion of first-degree rape, first-degree rape of a child and failure to register as a sex offender. However, court records indicate the two victims are adults and Egeler did not find probable cause for first-degree rape of a child.
Shumate also is wanted in Kitsap County for allegedly failing to register as sex offender.
Shumate’s adult criminal history dates back to 2000, according to court records. Most recently, he was convicted third-degree rape, second-degree assault and third-degree rape of child in a 2020 Thurston County Superior Court case.
If charged by prosecutors, Shumate must return to court at 9 a.m. May 14 for his arraignment hearing.
The Sheriff’s Office, which believes there may be other victims, urges anyone who may have experienced a “similar ordeal or any form of sexual assault” to contact a deputy via dispatch at 360-704-2740 or email at detectives@co.thurston.wa.us.
The investigation
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into the alleged crimes from the perspective of law enforcement.
A deputy encountered the first known victim on Oct. 8, 2023, while responding to a complaint about a person walking in the center of Martin Way East near School Street Southeast.
The 43-year-old victim reportedly appeared to be injured and in distress. They dropped to the ground in the fetal position and sobbed as the deputy approached, according to the statement.
The deputy took the person to Providence St. Peter Hospital, but the statement says they declined treatment and an exam.
The victim reportedly told the deputy that they willingly got in a man’s vehicle while trying to buy fentanyl in downtown Olympia.
The man, who police allege is Shumate, allegedly took the victim to the basement of the residence on Quinault Drive and offered the victim pills that did not match what they wanted.
The victim refused the pills and the man allegedly became angry and began to rape the victim at knife-point, according to the statement. The man reportedly put the knife to the victim’s throat and told them to be quiet.
The man stopped when the victim began to “contort unnaturally” as a result of a congestive heart failure condition, according to the statement. Shumate reportedly transported the victim to a Walmart on Galaxy Drive Northeast and left them there.
Another deputy encountered the second known victim on April 1 while responding to a possible domestic dispute. At the time, the 46-year-old victim reportedly requested a ride from law enforcement after an argument with her husband.
While speaking with the deputy, the husband reportedly said his wife had been raped on March 24. He said he transported his wife to Providence St. Peter Hospital to be examined the next day but they had not yet reported the incident to law enforcement.
Lacey police initially collected a sexual assault kit from the hospital because the victim reported the assault occurred in the Hawks Prairie area of Lacey. However, the husband later retraced the victim’s journey to the address on Quinault Drive.
The victim allegedly told the deputy that the man, believed to be Shumate, picked her up from the Intercity Transit Center in downtown Olympia. She said she willingly got into his car after he offered to “hang out and smoke,” the statement says.
The man allegedly transported the woman to the same residence on Quinault Drive and proceeded to rape her at knife-point as he did with the previous victim, according to the statement. However, the victim also reported being strangled in this incident.
The man allegedly demanded she not report the rape and he dropped her off at a KFC on Galaxy Drive, according to the statement. The victim reportedly slept by a bus stop off Marvin Road after missing the last bus that night.
Both victims provided similar, but not very detailed, descriptions of the man who allegedly raped them.
Deputies later presented both victims with a photograph montage of six people with similar features. The statement says they both identified Shumate from the line-up.
Resources
SafePlace offers crisis support services for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors in Thurston County. The public can contact their 24-hour help line at 360-754-6300.
Survivors also may contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.
