RICHLAND, Wash. – United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced a man and a woman from Kennewick to decades in federal prison on Thursday for sexually abusing a minor for years, according to a press release.
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Bret Michael Emineth, 41, was sentenced to 30 years for performing and recording the abuse. Malesa Hale, 37, was also sentenced to 28 years for conspiring with Emineth and participating in the abuse.
The two were ordered by Judge Dimke to pay restitution to the victim and are required to have a lifetime of federal supervision upon their release.
“I simply cannot convey how horrendousness this behavior is,” said Judge Dimke from the bench, noting that the two had inflicted “harm that will last for a lifetime.”
The press release says that the victim of the abuse reported to the Kennewick Police Department in June 2021, saying that Emineth repeatedly sexually and physically abused them for around four years.
Emineth was taken into custody that same month.
In 2019, Emineth was confronted about the abuse from Hale and admitted to it, however instead of reporting the abuse, Hale joined Emineth in abusing the minor.
According to the press release, detectives from KPD found text messages between the two that discussed their abuse of the victim and plans for sexually abusing other children.
Photos of the victim were also sent between the two. A full investigation of Emineth and Hale’s phones found the full extent of their abusive conduct.
“You are brave,” said Judge Dimke to the victim, who was as young as 12-years-old when the abuse began. “You are strong. You are courageous. You saved others from the hell that you were subjected to.”
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Emineth will also plead guilty to similar charges in Benton County Superior Court, according to the press release.
The case was investigated by KPD, Homeland Security Investigations and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.
