Whatcom County prosecutors intend to seek the extradition of a Montana man accused of multiple felonies related to child rape, child molestation and incest in the Bellingham area.
Aaron Drake, 33, was arrested on Sunday, Sept. 24 in Yellowstone County, Montana, and faces 15 charges that mirror those filed against his brother, Brian Drake, who was arrested in Bellingham last week on suspicion of two dozen sex crimes.
County Prosecuting Attorney Gordon Jenkins told Cascadia Daily News he has no estimate on the timeline of the extradition, and that it’s too early to say whether it will have an effect on Brian Drake’s court proceedings.
Together, the brothers face nearly 40 felony charges over incidents that occurred between 2002 and 2009.
The pair were living in the Marietta-Alderwood area, west of Bellingham, when they allegedly abused two children known to them over a multi-year span. The abuse began when Brian Drake was 10 and Aaron Drake was 12, and involved two victims known to them then aged 4 and 11, according to charging documents.
Brian Drake reportedly admitted to the assaults during an interview with local authorities, and is currently incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $350,000 bail. If he is able to post bail, he will not be allowed to have contact with anyone under the age of 18 or with either of the alleged victims.
The victims, now in their 20s, described years of abuse at the hands of the Drake brothers, and court records indicate they were afraid to fully disclose details of the abuse.
The Drake brothers’ parents sought support from a bishop at their church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, around 2009 or 2010, according to court documents. The parents did not know the extent of the abuse, court documents state, and “were under the impression that Aaron and Brian were only inappropriate with [the victims] a couple of times.”
When contacted by Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, Brian Drake’s ex-wife said she had been waiting “for several years” for a call from law enforcement over the crimes, which she said she learned about in February 2018, just six months after the birth of their daughter.
Charges against Brian Drake include six counts of first-degree child molestation, three counts of first-degree child rape, three counts of first-degree incest, three counts of indecent liberties, one count of second-degree rape by forcible compulsion, one count of second-degree assault, one count of third-degree rape, one count of attempted first-degree child rape, one count of attempted third-degree rape, one count of voyeurism and one count of intimidation of a witness.
Charges against Aaron Drake include four counts of first-degree child molestation, two counts of first-degree child rape, two counts of first-degree incest, two counts of second-degree child rape, one count of second-degree child molestation, one count of third-degree child rape, one count of indecent liberties, one count of voyeurism and one count of attempted first-degree child rape.
Brian Drake’s first court appearance was Wednesday, Sept. 20, and his arraignment is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 29.
This story was updated at 6:32 p.m. Sept. 26, 2023, to include information on the extradition of Aaron Drake.
