Widow of firefighter accused of molestation pleads guilty to witness tampering, unlawful imprisonment
Widow of firefighter accused of molestation pleads guilty to witness tampering, unlawful imprisonment
Eatonville resident Drew Ann Hamrick pleaded guilty Tuesday to forcing two of her adopted daughters to cover up their allegations that Hamrick’s husband was molesting them.
ADAM LYNN; STAFF WRITER
Published: Nov. 27, 2012 at 11:05 a.m. PST — Updated: Nov. 27, 2012 at 7:53 p.m. PST
Eatonville resident Drew Ann Hamrick pleaded guilty Tuesday to forcing two of her adopted daughters to cover up their allegations that Hamrick’s husband was molesting them.
Hamrick also admitted in Pierce County Superior Court that she locked a third adopted daughter in her room without furniture and with only a bucket as a toilet.
Judge Vicki Hogan, saying she was troubled by “the seriousness of the offenses,” sentenced Hamrick, 52, to a year and a day in prison after accepting her guilty pleas to witness tampering and unlawful imprisonment.
That sentence was recommended by deputy prosecutor Jared Ausserer and defense attorney Donald Winskill, who worked for months to craft the plea deal.
Hamrick was arrested in August 2011 after allegations surfaced that her husband, Scott Hamrick, had been molesting two of their five adopted daughters. Scott Hamrick , a lieutenant with Central Pierce Fire & Rescue, committed suicide June 30, 2011, after sheriff’s detectives began investigating the allegations.
Prosecutors said Drew Ann Hamrick forced the two molestation victims to write statements denying the allegations. She also was accused of locking her then-14-year-old daughter in a room for long periods without food, water or access to a bathroom.
The Hamricks had two adult sons and adopted five girls they’d taken in as foster children. Drew Ann Hamrick also has an adult son from a previous relationship.
Winskill told Hogan his client had done wrong but that the allegations against her were overblown.
Drew Ann Hamrick did ask her daughters not to say anything about the molestation allegations but only because her husband was threatening to kill himself, the attorney said. She later reported the abuse to one of her sons, he said.
“We’re not minimizing it,” Winskill said. “She did tell them not to say anything.”
The imprisonment of the other girl was an attempt to curb the girl’s behavior problems, Winskill said.
“It was mismanaged by my client,” he said.
A tearful Hamrick apologized to her daughters, especially the two who reported being molested.
“I truly didn’t have a clue about what was going on,” she said. “I’ll carry the guilt the rest of my life.”
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644
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