A 33-year-old Marysville therapist caught in a compromising position at Deception Pass Bridge with a teenage patient is facing felony charges.
Investigators allege that Jamie M. Wright, a former drug-and-alcohol counselor, carried on a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy and exchanged sexually charged photos and texts with him, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged Wright in Island County Superior Court Aug. 5 with two counts of felony communication with a minor for immoral purposes. She pleaded not guilty during an Aug. 22 arraignment hearing.
Deputy Robert Mirabal with the Island County Sheriff’s Office was patrolling North Whidbey early in the morning of Feb. 20 when he saw a car parked in the parking lot next to Deception Pass Bridge. He investigated since cars aren’t allowed to park in the lot at night.
He shined his light into the car and saw a woman straddling a man in the front passenger seat; they were both clothed but the woman had her boots off.
Mirabal asked for their IDs and discovered that the boy, an Anacortes resident, was just 15 years old. The young man was not cooperative with police.
The deputy called the boy’s mother, who identified Wright as her son’s former counselor at Catholic Community Services Recovery Center in Skagit County.
Mirabal seized cell phones from the boy and Wright. While turning off the boy’s phone, he saw an image that appeared to be Wright, partially clothed and in a provocation pose, according to the report by Detective Chris Peabody.
Detectives analyzed the cell phones as well as the teenager’s Facebook page and found more images and messages that indicated Wright had a sexual relationship with the teenager.
The police also found explicit and sexually suggestive images of Wright on an iPad that the teenager allegedly stole from an Anacortes home and was later recovered, the report states.
Peabody notes that Wright was in a position of authority over the victim, especially since treatment impacted his probation status.
Wright was employed by Catholic Community Services Recovery Center from 2008 until Feb. 23 of this year.
“While law enforcement and the courts will address the criminal charges, our own internal review showed that Ms. Wright could no longer remain an employee of the agency,” a press release from the center states.
“We are deeply concerned by this event and are cooperating fully with law enforcement and the courts in their investigation.”
