Star Meridian High School athlete charged with raping teenager, lying to authorities

Apr. 8—A star Meridian High School student athlete has continued competing in school-sanctioned events after being charged with two felonies accusing him of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in December 2023 and lying to authorities about it.

Jase Kristopher Klinkhammer, 18, of Whatcom County, was charged March 5 in Whatcom County Superior Court with one count of second-degree rape (forcible compulsion) and one count of second-degree perjury, both felonies.

Klinkhammer pleaded not guilty to the charges March 15. His next court appearance is May 1, and his jury trial has tentatively been set for May 28, according to court documents. Klinkhammer's charges were first reported by Cascadia Daily News.

A sexual assault protection order has been put in place between Klinkhammer and the girl, court documents show.

The Bellingham Herald has reached out to the Whatcom County Prosecutor's Office, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, Klinkhammer's defense attorney and the Meridian School District for comment and information.

Suspensions, ineligibility

Klinkhammer is a star sprinter on Meridian's track and field team, where he won the 1A state title in the 400 meter last season and took second in the 100 and 200 meter races. Despite the charges, Klinkhammer has continued competing in school sporting events.

On March 11, Klinkhammer was suspended by USA Track and Field, the sport's national governing body, according to the organization's website. Just two days later, Klinkhammer was on the track as Meridian kicked off its season against Burlington-Edison High School, winning the 100 and 200 meter races. On March 22, Klinkhammer took gold in the 100, 200 and 400 at the Bedlington Twilight meet in Lynden. A week later, he repeated the feat at the Trojan Twilight meet, hosted by Meridian.

On April 8 the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an independent organization that determines sexual misconduct-related suspensions for the governing bodies of U.S. Olympic sports including USATF, ruled Klinkhammer ineligible to compete.

SafeSport and USATF don't have the jurisdiction to stop Kilnkhammer from competing for Meridian. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which governs high school sports in the state, is silent regarding suspensions for off-the-field behavior, leaving the question to the schools themselves.

Meridian outlines the behavioral standards its student-athletes must follow in its co-curricular code of conduct. The document states that students must "commit no unlawful acts," or be subject to suspension or probation.

As for how the punishment is determined, the code states that "students involved in criminal offenses, even though not committed on school property or at a school event, will be subject to a review by a committee consisting of the Administration, Athletic Director, Coach and School Counselor."

A spokesperson for the school declined to comment on how the decision to let Klinkhammer compete was determined, citing student confidentiality laws, but said that the school takes student safety seriously.

"It is our primary focus to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students," the spokesperson said. "We encourage students who have safety concerns to speak with a trusted adult or report their concern through our safety tip line."

Assault allegations

On Dec. 24, a 16-year-old Ferndale girl called 911 to report that Klinkhammer raped her while she was at a friend's house on Dec. 21, according to court records.

The girl told Whatcom sheriff's deputies she was at her friend's house in Ferndale the evening of Dec. 20 and was messaging Klinkhammer over Snapchat, the social media app, and told him to come hang out with her.

Klinkhammer showed up at the friend's house around 1 a.m. on Dec. 21. The girl told deputies she and Klinkhammer were laying in her friend's bed, making out, while her friend was sick in the bathroom.

Klinkhammer tried to take the girl's pants off and she "incessantly told Jase, 'No, no, no,' when he tried to do this," the court documents state.

The girl told deputies Klinkhammer then grabbed her head and forced her to perform oral sex on him, and that she was unable to move. Klinkhammer left immediately following the assault, stating that his mother wanted him to come home, the records state.

The girl told deputies she went into the bathroom where her friend was and said she thought "Jase just raped her," according to court records.

When interviewed Dec. 29 about the allegations by sheriff's deputies at his Laurel-area home, Klinkhammer said he had been at a friend's house Dec. 20, went to the Taco Bell in Ferndale and returned home shortly before 11 p.m. He told deputies he then played video games with friends until 4 a.m. and did not leave his house again until shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 21.

Klinkhammer provided a written statement, signed under penalty of perjury, stating that he believed his timeline of events was truthful, the court documents state.

Perjury charge

Deputies with the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office say Klinkhammer's Snapchat location information tells a different story.

The sheriff's office requested, and was granted by a judge in mid-January, a search warrant for Klinkhammer's Snapchat account information. That information included geolocation data — shows global latitude and longitude for Klinkhammer's specific account — for the dates of Dec. 20 and 21.

The Snapchat geolocation data corroborated Klinkhammer's statements regarding the time he spent at his friend's house and traveling to Taco Bell before returning to his home on Dec. 20, the court records state.

The geolocation data then shows that Klinkhammer's account left his home and traveled to the friend's house in Ferndale around 1 a.m. on Dec. 21, where he remained until he returned home shortly after 2 a.m. that morning — in direct contrast with his signed statement provided to sheriff's deputies.

"To summarize, in contrast to Jase's signed statement, his Snapchat account's historic geolocation data shows him leaving his house and arriving at the address where, and during the time, (the victim) reported forced sexual activity occurred between herself and Jase," court documents state.

The sheriff's office interviewed the victim's friend in late February, who confirmed she had the victim over for a sleepover at her house on Dec. 20.

The friend told a sheriff's detective that she became sick around 10 p.m. that night and went to her bathroom. She said at one point, she went into her bedroom, where she was surprised to see Klinkhammer on her bed with the victim, court documents state.

When she asked Klinkhammer how he got to her house, he told her he drove himself there. The friend returned to the bathroom, and roughly five to 10 minutes later, the victim came into the bathroom and described the forced sexual activity, according to court records.

Klinkhammer was booked into the Whatcom County Jail at 7:22 a.m. on March 4 and was released roughly 12 hours later after a $1,000 cash alternative bond was posted for him, according to jail and court records.

Resources

— Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org

Brigid Collins Family Support Center professionals are on-call between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions about children, families, abuse prevention or treatment at (360) 734-4616.

— Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.

— Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.

— Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.

— Tl'ils Ta'á'altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/

— Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.

— WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.

If you or a child is in immediate danger, call 911 and make a report to law enforcement.

To report child abuse or neglect call 1-866-END HARM.

This story was originally published April 8, 2024, 6:45 PM.

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