Rape Trial of Former Sequim Police Officer Christian Whitaker Delayed to November
A Clallam County Superior Court judge on Friday postponed the felony rape trial of former Sequim police officer Christian Whitaker until November, granting a defense request for more time over the objection of prosecutors who argued the defense had already had nearly two years to get ready.
Judge Simon Barnhart granted the continuance at a July 10 motion hearing, striking the trial date of Sept. 14, 2026, and resetting it for Nov. 2, 2026.
Whitaker, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree rape, first-degree voyeurism, and disclosing intimate images.
The charges stem from an incident that prosecutors allege occurred at his home in unincorporated Clallam County, near Sequim, on July 1, 2024, while he was a Sequim police officer.
He had been on administrative leave since that month, with his police powers revoked, and resigned from the department in August 2025, shortly after the charges were filed.
Motion to Continue
Whitaker’s attorney, Karen Unger, filed the motion on July 2, arguing in a sworn declaration that she could not be ready for a September trial.
Unger wrote that after she and two private investigators interviewed the complaining witness on June 30—an interview she described as lasting nearly two hours—it “became apparent that multiple witnesses, which include physicians, nurses, an EMT, as well as experts in the field of alcohol intoxication and pharmacology” would need to be contacted to prepare a defense.
Unger further cited a long-planned vacation that she said would make it difficult to secure experts and locate witnesses before the September date.
State’s Objection
Special deputy prosecutor Chris Ashcraft, a Jefferson County prosecutor specially appointed to try the case, opposed the continuance in a written brief, arguing that the defense had run out of reasons for delay.
Ashcraft wrote that Unger had been involved in the matter since July 2024—representing Whitaker that fall in a related sexual assault protection order case—and had received the bulk of the state’s evidence in August 2025, “which means she had 392 days between receiving the discovery and the current trial date to interview witnesses and consult with any needed experts.”
He noted that the defense did not ask to interview the complaining witness until June 9, 2026—roughly ten months after charges were filed—and argued that the nature of the case had put the defense on notice from the outset that medical witnesses might matter.
The state’s brief called the assertion that counsel “only now realizes she needs to interview the medical witnesses and seek the assistance of an expert” one that “defies credulity.”
Ashcraft also pointed to the state constitution’s guarantee that crime victims have “a meaningful role in the criminal justice system,” writing that both the state and the victim want the case resolved “as quickly as possible.”
Ruling
Judge Barnhart granted the motion, finding that the continuance was “required in the administration of justice” because the “defense needs additional time to prepare a defense,” according to the order.
He struck the September date, reset the four-day trial for Nov. 2, and scheduled a status conference for Aug. 21. The order lists a speedy-trial expiration date of Dec. 2, 2026.
At the same hearing, Unger submitted a signed waiver of extradition allowing Whitaker to travel outside Washington. The court granted the travel request without objection from the state.
Background
According to the probable cause statement, the woman reported that she went to Whitaker’s home on the evening of July 1, 2024, drank two shots of vodka, and lost consciousness, waking the next morning to signs of a possible sexual encounter.
She told investigators she became violently ill in the hours that followed and was taken to Olympic Medical Center. Court documents state that the hospital’s testing had only a limited ability to detect so-called date-rape drugs and that none were found.
In his interview with detectives, Whitaker said the woman drank three to four shots and that the two engaged in sexual activity. He denied giving her anything other than alcohol.
He acknowledged recording a video of the woman and sending it to a friend; court documents state he also sent the friend two photographs of her. According to the probable cause statement, Whitaker admitted that the woman did not consent to the filming or the sending of the video.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation, an arrangement meant to keep the case objective, so that no one investigating the allegations had previously worked with Whitaker.
Whitaker was booked and released without bail on Sept. 5, 2025—the same day Judge Barnhart signed a no-contact order barring him from contacting the woman.
If convicted of second-degree rape, Whitaker faces up to life in prison and a $50,000 fine. First-degree voyeurism carries up to five years, and disclosing intimate images up to 364 days.
What’s Next
A status conference is set for Aug. 21, with the trial now scheduled to begin Nov. 2 in Clallam County Superior Court—more than two years and four months after the alleged assault.