Teen girl rescued from shack near Bellingham; wanted sex offender arrested on kidnapping and rape charges

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A wanted sex offender is behind bars on kidnapping and rape charges after a teen girl was rescued from a shack near Bellingham this week. 

According to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, the teen girl called 911 about 5 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 18) and said she needed to go home. The caller hung up and didn't answer the callback, but dispatch traced the call to the 4700 block of North King Mountain Road.

Deputies who responded knew that the property belonged to 39-year-old Darrin Moseley, a registered sex offender with multiple warrants for his arrest, including failure to register as a sex offender in Snohomish County. They found Moseley in a 10'x10' shack on the property. 

Investigators said a 16-year-old girl ran outside when she saw deputies and asked to be taken home. She later told deputies that she had been dropped off at his shack, where he kept her against her will for 10 days, sexually assaulted her and at one point held a knife to her throat. 

He also deleted the contacts saved on her phone, gave her alcohol and marijuana and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave. Deputies said Moseley admitted to having sex with her and giving her alcohol and marijuana. 

Moseley was arrested and booked into the Whatcom County Jail on charges of kidnapping, felony harassment and multiple counts of first-degree rape. 

Investigators are working to determine whether this is a sex trafficking case and if other suspects are involved.