Ephrata Man Facing 6 Years To Life After Child Molestation Plea

A Grant County man is facing at least six-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of child molestation.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office says 35-year-old Khristian Cardenas of Ephrata entered the plea in Grant County Superior Court late last week after bargaining with prosecutors.

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Cardenas had originally been charged with one count of first-degree rape of a child and one count of first-degree child molestation, but ended up pleading guilty only to the lesser molestation charge, while the rape charges were dropped.

Prosecutors say the main reason for offering Cardenas to plead to lesser charges was to spare the victim the trauma of having to relive the assaults in a courtroom at trial.

Investigators say Cardenas was acquainted with his victim, who was 9 when the crimes took place at a home in Moses Lake in April and May of 2022.

Cardenas is facing a minimum of 78 months in prison but could be given a life term when he is sentenced next month.