Former JBLM Soldier Accused Of Raping 2-Year-Old Sentenced To Jail

TACOMA, WA - A former soldier stationed at Joint Base-Lewis McChord accused of raping a 2-year-old autistic child in 2016 was sentenced in federal court in Tacoma Tuesday. Luis A. Morales, 42, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and, when his sentence is up, will be under lifetime supervised release and will have to register as a sex offender.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Morales' estranged wife found videos of him raping the two-year-old, and then contacted military police. Morales was arrested on Aug. 9, 2016 on charges of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor and production of child pornography.

Morales pleaded guilty in May to a charge of production of child porn. The alleged rape of the child occurred at JBLM.

“This is a horrific crime – words are inadequate to describe the harm done by this defendant,” U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes said in a statement. “I commend the dedicated law enforcement officers from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI who moved quickly to protect the victim and worked closely with our office to ensure the defendant was locked up and held to account.”

The case was jointly investigated by Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI, according to Hayes' office.

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