A Hoquiam pastor charged with two counts of child molestation in September of last year was found guilty of one count of second degree child molestation by Grays Harbor County Superior Court Judge David Edwards Friday.

Adair Krack was a pastor at the First Baptist Church in Hoquiam and was accused of sexual contact with a 12-year old girl during a weeklong Bible camp in the summer of 2016.

Krack waived a jury trial and opted for what is known is a “bench” trial in which the judge decides the case.

According to court documents, Krack knew the victim’s family from when he was assistant pastor at an Oregon church. He and his wife would often babysit the victim’s eldest sister, and the defendant referred to Krack as her “Papa” and “views him as a grandfather, even though they have no actual relation.”

The victim and her sibling began attending Krack’s Bible camp in August of 2010 when the sisters were 7 and 9 years old. The victim’s family picked her up, along with her siblings from Krack’s home in Elma in early August 2016 after a weeklong stay at his Bible camp. The victim later told her mother that Krack had been touching her inappropriately, having told a friend the same thing a few days earlier. She said most of the touching occurred in Krack’s home and had been happening since they started attending Krack’s Bible camp.

The victim’s father arranged to meet with Krack and confronted him about the allegations. According to the father’s statement, when Krack was asked about the inappropriate touching he “remained quiet for approximately five minutes and did not immediately deny anything.” Krack’s eventual response was “that if he was guilty of anything it was loving them too much.” He also stated “that he only had (the victim’s) best interests at heart and that if he needed to keep (the victim) from going through unnecessary stress, he would just plead guilty.”

According to the victim’s parents, they asked the victim’s two younger siblings if Krack had ever touched them inappropriately, to which they made no disclosures. However, when the parents asked their eldest daughter, then 20 years old, she responded by bursting into tears and saying Krack had molested her starting when she was about 5 years old.

A warrant for Krack’s arrest was sought and granted Sept. 12. The trial was held late last week. Judge Edwards ruled Krack was guilty of the offense Friday morning. A second charge of child molestation in the first degree that was filed in the original complaint had been excused prior to trial.

Krack, who had been free on bond, was taken into custody after he was found guilty. He is scheduled for sentencing June 6. According to state sentencing guidelines, he faces 15 to 20 months in jail for the offense.