By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 23-year-old Centralia resident is being held on $500,000 bail following his arrest for allegedly taking pictures with a cell phone of himself having sex with a 14-year-old girl.
The incident came to light when his ex-girlfriend contacted authorities, saying he returned her cell phone to her with the explicit images on it.
Jonathan M. Margart went before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court in Chehalis yesterday afternoon charged with two felonies.
Defense attorney Bob Schroeter said he didn’t argue for a lower bail amount, leaving that for the attorney who would subsequently be appointed to represent Margart.
He said his temporary client was a hard working guy, employed at both Ayala Brothers Furniture and Carls Jr. restaurant.
According to the allegations outlined in the charging documents, Margart befriended a local middle school girl on Facebook, they talked on the phone a time or two and once met up at Fort Borst Park in Centralia.
The girl told a Centralia police detective they met on a recent Saturday and went to McDonalds, to the Outlet Mall and then Margart got a room at Motel 6, according to charging documents.
He left and returned with a fifth of Bacardi rum and his friends visited him periodically throughout the evening, the documents state.
The teenager told the detective she was intoxicated but recalled him holding his cell phone while they were engaged in sex, although she thought it was in the “flashlight mode,” charging documents state.
The girl said she allowed him to take one picture of her naked, but would not have agreed to photos during sex, according to charging documents.
She said she told Margart she was 14; when interviewed, he told the detective she said she was 18, according to charging documents.
Margart told the detective the girl was drunk and it was the girl who suggested he film her, according to the documents.
Margart was was jailed last week by his community corrections officer for violating the conditions of his parole by being in the company of a minor.
He was charged yesterday with sexual exploitation of a minor as well as third-degree rape of a child.
The exploitation is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison. It’s related to causing a person under 18 to engage in sexually explicit conduct knowing the act will be photographed or part of a live performance.
The rape charge carries a maximum penalty of five years, and is based only upon the age difference between the two parties; a victim who is age 14 or 15 and a perpetrator who is at least 48 months older.
Margart’s criminal history includes convictions when he was 19 years old for third-degree child molestation and second-degree child molestation, according to court documents.
His chance to make his plea will come at his arraignment, scheduled for next Thursday.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
mesayst Not perfect, I just know what I’m talking about, and have learned not to open my mouth if I don’t… a skill most would do well to learn. Also, I type fast and therefore do tend to have typos.
If I ever sound angry it’s because the subject matter in the article has upset me not whoever has an opinion on it. Don’t accredit yourself or anyone else with so much power. I give no one the hammer to rattle me, least of all people I have never and will never meet.
If you have something to say about the article or someone’s opinion on it, please by all means continue… otherwise stop addressing me. You are wasting my time and your own.
Oh,my, domino how nice it must be to be perfect. You are not always on point. You are rude, & and your “”research” is not always right. You sound very angry in your post more so when someone dares to take you on. Tell what or where did you get your degree. By the way , your spelling,sentence structure has noy always been perfect. Grow up little girl.
mesayst The difference (among MANY) is I stick to the subject in the article/story, I don’t type angry, and I don’t personally insult those who don’t personally insult me or make wild accusations/ASSumptions about their personal life or associations that are solely slander at best. That, and my debates (rather than arguments) are intelligent, researched, and based on facts.
Thank you for your opinion, but it sure would have been a lot more pointed if it actually had something to do with the article/story rather than just pertaining to the never ending b.s. that I and everyone else has to put up with from Norman Bates.
Also the form of to(too, two, to) that you are using is spelled: T-O-O.
Some days I read the comments on here, somedays not. My choice. At times it make for a amusing read. Some days very,very sad. The battle of the “wits”‘ & I use that term loosely. If you want to put a “nit” before that do so. There are good comments on here, but some just seem to be full of anger & are self righteous and for what? Just my opinion for the day.
Dominoe you sound just like OLJ! It is to funny. Can’t take you serious either. Sometimes I read the post on here sometimes not, my choice, but I always am entertain by all the self
Very little of what I have to say pertains to you OLJ/Mr. Bates. You are always proven wrong, then you proceed to throw a fit over it, and call people names or insinuate they are losers of some sort. You can NEVER stick to the subject at hand, and just debate, you always have to attack on some sort of lame excuse for a personal level. I don’t even know ONE of the people in that article about the bust, nor do I even live in that area anymore. As usual you show your true colors: an angry, simple minded, uneducated, immature, shut in, who can’t win an argument to save his life, so he lashes out with hateful BS. Maybe get educated, or simply do some research before you talk, and you could save yourself a ton of upset, and frustration.
DOMINOE: I don’t read your garbage, only I can see it is all about me OLJ.
I don’t care what you have to say about anything since all you do is argue and can’t let anything go.
It was nice here for a while when you and your buddies were locked up in the Big Bottom Bust. But, now you’re out and it’s back to the usual b.s.
I don’t read your garbage. You can stop reading mine anytime.
Other…so a 23 year old MAN with a record of inappropriate acts with underage kids, got a 14 year old little middle school naive CHILD drunk, and video taped himself in the act of stageatory rape with her, and she is partially to blame because she “knew what was going to happen”??? She’s a CHILD, with clear daddy issues, who was impressed by the attention from an older man. We have laws to protect these LITTLE GIRLS from GROWN MEN/PREDATORS like this because, they are NOT MATURE ENOUGH TO MAKE MAJOR LIFE DECISIONS! Having sex is a major life decision with major life consequences (such as pregnancy, diseases, broken hearts (that lead to suicide at that age), death from diseases…). 14 years old girls can’t buy alcohol and shit like this is why! He should be brought up on charges for giving her alcohol too.
Bottom line?:…She might be a lot of things, but her young age, lack of life experience, and naivety excuse her from blame. This MAN knew better and he didn’t care. He did it before and he will do it again.
I am soooooo sick of people blaming everyone but the sex offenders.
I do have a few other questions tho;…Where were this girl’s parents? Why was she at a hotel with this man? Either she lied to them or they don’t care. Parents need to have access to their kids’ FB, and be checking into their stories about where they will be, and with who. I can tell you one thing for certain:..MY daughter won’t be running around at ANY AGE without accountability for her whereabouts. Then again…her parents care.
OLJ Actually if you want to get technical there are THREE branches of government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial)…and State and Federal have nothing to do with any of them. If you are going to try and sound superior, maybe have a better researched argument. Also the 3 strike law I was referring to, has a list of certain offenses, and if you commit 3 of them in your lifetime you are put away for the rest of it. Rape of a child in the 1st and 2nd are on it. Assault in the 1st and 2nd are on it. Its violent crimes and some rape crimes. Look it up, its a fact and there are SEVERAL states that have this law…more and more every year. The 3 strike law is very real and it has nothing to do with whatever you are talking about.
Statistics Hound Yes there is a section for the super sicko criminals on McNeil island, but none of these people have committed just one crime as OLJ has suggested. IDC what the statistics say because rape and molestation have the 2 lowest report rates of ANY crime. Also if they are so unlikely to reoffend, then why are they required to register with a tag to their name with their level that says exactly HOW LIKELY they are to reoffend???? Level 3 HIGHLY likely to reoffend…level 2 likely to reoffend…and so on down the line. I think people make too little of these kinds of situations and are quick to blame the female who was violated, for being an “evil temptress”, instead of the man who “just couldn’t help himself or resist her” (next people will blame babies for running around in their diapers instead of the chimos!!)…which coupled with embarrassment is why so many of these crimes go unreported and as you say makes the statistics work in a S.O.s favor!!! Give me a break. Let’s stop making excuses for these sickos and start hanging them out by their appendages!
There is no excuse for a grown man to be trolling FB for little girls or cruising the middle school looking for a date! There is no excuse for people like Jimmy Reeder. There is no excuse for being deaf to the word STOP! The only people who make it ok are the ones advocating for these sick sick people and making excuses or giving out the ever famous enabler line “don’t judge”. I don’t need to walk a mile in someone’s shoes who would do something like this, because I already know the difference between right and wrong and there is no excuse for someone who doesn’t! Our laws are clearly laid out for all to see and when in doubt…try reading the bible!
The indefinite detention law is determined at the end of a persons sentence. It is an extremely long and involved process which results from a persons history, his success or failure at rehabilitation over usually multiple incarcerations, and multiple and very involved evaluations by the state. These people have already completed their sentence but are held “indefinitely” if and when they are deemed to be able to be released. Hence the term “indefinite detention”.
@TS he has priors. I think that kind of says it all. He likes children in his bed, he’s been convicted of it.. ..end of story.
@OLJ You can turn anything into an argument that’s full of anger, so let’s not pretend it’s me or anyone else you converse with. I have no desire to get into it with you AGAIN so just give it a rest. If you can find a website that has info on this law you speak of please copy and paste. I’d love to see it. If such a law exists, I have to wonder why it’s never put to use.
Is there a particular criterion to be met in order for a sex offender to be sentenced to life, or is it at a judge’s discretion? What’s the RCW for this, or is there a specific federal law that can be referenced? If it’s up to a judge, this guy’d better hope for a Judge Franklin and not a Judge Judy.
The indefinite detention law in WA is a Washington only law altho some other state may have it, I don’t think so and is administered by Dept of Social & Health Services, not Federal Govt. These men reside in a facility that remains (seperately) on McNeil Island. These are people deemed to not be able to be rehabilitated.
In reality, sex offenders have the lowest rate of recidivism of crime groups. That fact will drive some crazy as that is not “common gossip”. It is however statistically correct and very easy to find the research.
Only because of the girl’s age is it “non consensual”. She agreed to everything except the video, by her own admission. It becomes a he said/she said, and now that she’s caught she might make him look worse (he makes himself look bad, – I make no allowances for him). But she could say whatever she wants to at this point and she’s automatically golden. And please, she did know what she was doing.
Furthermore, the indefinite detention statute for violent sex offenders is under Federal Law, not state law.
There are TWO branches of government.
Sex offenders in washington state can be locked up indefinitely. It’s the law. It’s not an opinion. There’s nothing to argue there, so please don’t stir up more anger unneccesarily please.
The law is used sparingly to lock up the worst of the worst; i.e. violent rapists/murderers, not teenagers who engage in non-consensual sex.
Never thought you were trying to sound accusatory, H&T. I’d figured you might’ve been speculating how the ex figures into all of this, too. She had to know the girl is underaged when she called the cops, but how? And how did Margert come to find the girl’s Facebook page without knowing who she is first? Also, how many “18-year-olds” are still in middle school?
I think this one is going to get “curiouser and curiouser,” but it looks like Margart is looking at a longterm stay with the Grey Bar Hotel.
I am so disappointed with how my community reacts without hearing all the facts. What’s worse is that I agree, heinous sex offenders should be put to death, period.
Quick judgement may not be the answer. Hard to judge age in some young ladies these days. Yes there are some errors in judgement on someones fault. I wasn’t a genious at 23 and I still don’t know it all. Good people screw up when young. My ex was a needle junkie and promiscuous when she was 12. Her words. She tried to destroy me with lies. I understand there are victims and perpetrators, but hey…shouldn’t we all have just a bit of discretion as adults? If you can’t see that, God help ya when you’re on the defense. If he’s guilty then he will pay for his crime…..by an impartial jury,at a fair trial of his peers. Disrespecting the system promotes corruption therefore making you the problem. Get it?
the ultimate question is why are sexual offenders released. rehab is a joke to any sane/intelligent/balanced person. the other question is…why does this continue to happen and why are people being victimized by previous offenders? there’s something very wrong with the current system. most importantly, why do we, as a society, continue to IGNORE this problem.
You 2 are living in a fantasy world. I’m pretty sure if there will laws and sentences like that, there wouldn’t be so many rapos and chimos with prior convictions running the streets
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9a.44
Guilty – I apologize for sounding harsh in my last post. I re-read it, and I thought it sounded almost accusatory, and that’s not how I meant it. I have read your posts, and we seem to think a little similar, so I was thinking of using you as “what do you think?” versus Hey YOU! So please don’t take it as an offensive post against you.
Thanks, Here & There
Coffee and donuts is 100% CORRECT. In fact, it’s not a one-two-three strikes deal at all.
When it comes to sex offenders in washington state, you can be locked up for an INDEFINITE period of time, until you are deemed “fit” to be released.
Which, in cases that don’t involve murder, but do involve violence, will last from appx. 10-25 years depending on the calibre of lawyer they can afford.
By no means is this estimation meant to be a factual representation, but rather a ball-park guesstimate based on statistics garnered through media and peer-reviewed academic studies.
I’m pretty sure in regards to certain sex offences it’s a two strike deal.
Careful…. WELL SAID!
Other makes some excellent points – without a father in the home, this sort of behavior is more likely to occur.
I don’t agree with limiting the education, though. These young girls are NOT learning about sex by attending sex ed. They are learning it from their (likely inappropriate) peers, the television and movies.
How much MORE tragic if the girl in this article ends up pregnant and with a life-threatening STD because he did NOT use a condom. Sex ed saves lives… especially the little ones.
So he’s pulling the old “thought she was 18/legal” BS huh? I suspect if the ex girlfriend saw the pics and knew from only that, thus gurl was underage, then there was/is no mistaking her for an adult. This guy is clearly a predator and a loser… I mean for God’s sake, trolling the middle school for hoes…. Pathetic. My effing niece goes to that middle school is what makes me the sickest. I have a few guesses of who this girl might be. Daddy issues sure do fuck little girls up don’t they.
Coffee and Maple it’s 3 strikes and only certain offenses apply. I do believe rape of a child is one if them but idk in what degree..the 1st and 2nd sounds about right, but it’s only on offenses committed after the year they put the law into effect. Late 90s I think. I’m gonna look it up
Did the ex knew the girl was underaged, Here and there? I don’t know what she looks like and while some 14-year-old girls do indeed look like they’re 14 years old, some don’t. It can be a tough call.
That the girl has already talked with police is interesting, since it’s pretty likely Margart didn’t tell them who she is. Did the ex maybe match the girl’s face to her Facebook page via Margert’s website (or even knew her already), then call the cops? Where’s Columbo when you need him?
According to state law, there is a ‘two strikes and you’re out’ in regards to sex offences. I wonder if this will apply to Margart if convicted in this case?
He seems to fit the definition of habitual sex offender. He definitely fits the definition of ‘idiot’ to a ‘ T ‘
If you know they are a sex offender and find their profile on facebook then you can copy a link of the sex offender page and send it to facebook and they will delete the profile.
Guilty – do you think that the ex gf knew that the girl was underage? Pretty bad of that loser to do that, stupid to not erase it. Was he doing it to show off to his ex, “look what I got?” Was she trying to get him in trouble and it actually worked? Really, how did she know??
So this doof took pics of himself having sex with a teenybopper by using his ex-girlfriend’s phone, and then gave it back to said ex-girlfriend with the images intact? What did he think was going to happen when she started looking at these images? My guess is that this is what put the “ex-” in “ex-girlfriend” at the very least.
Not only is this guy a proven child molester, he doesn’t have the common sense God gave to goats.
“She said she told Margart she was 14; when interviewed, he told the detective she said she was 18, according to charging documents.”
I wonder if she thought to bring up her age again before going to Motel 6. If she is too naïve to know what would happen at the hotel??? And at 14, why would taking a picture of her naked be okay unless she thought that was normal?????? And why was a 23 year old guy’s attention so important to her??
Where are the parents of all these 14 year old children?????? Time and time again we see these girls reaching out to older men.
Where are the REAL men? Every see that movie “Mean Girls” where the girls ran around in next-to-nothing clothes, and the dad wasn’t MAN enough to stand up to his wife and teen girl, and his 8 year old daughter was learning pole dancing and he just looked away? WHERE ARE THE MEN????? Parents, protect your daughters!! Teach your children – boys and girls – how to act and behave and treat others!!!
Either lower consent age – How many guys have a record because they were sleeping with their future wives before both were 18?
OR quit teaching sex ed in elementary school. They should be learning the 3 R’s, not 3 ways to put on a condom. Quit feeding the kids garbage and they will quit acting on what they’ve learned.
This guy was/is a predator, but he’s not the only one in the news and “thought she was older” or figured that he could get away with it.
Wait for it, the cockroaches will come out of the dark places and say that he was a nice guy, won’t do this, she is a hoe, etc etc. Looks to me like she was screaming out for attention and he fulfilled that longing. Also looks like the only thing that she didn’t agree to is the filming, but otherwise she gave her consent the whole time. If giving consent makes her a hoe, how many kids in our schools would wear the same label? Why are all the girls screaming for attention??
What about his label? We need to bring back the scarlet letter, to stamp the child or otherwise sex offenders right on the face so that everyone can see and make their own decision.
Ugh, not the way to start the day. Sorry folks, I’m done.
It’s all the coal fumes getting into these kids heads, and spores from swamp mold because the town never dries out between floods. Why is that so hard to understand?
Granted, the young man involved is most definitely a very sick and deranged individual.
However, his actions in his mind were “cool” and something to be shared with his closest friends and aquaintances!
In what world does sick behavior become so acceptable that kids take pictures to share with posterity?
Damn.
He is on parole for child molestation charges and has sex ith a 14 year old girl. WOW.
That should be a life without parole sentence but it won’t be. Then there are actually people who argue against the public being notified of a sex offender living in their neighborhoods.
This guy seems to be on a life long path of preying on kids. Revoke him and let the otehr inmates know why he is back and what he is facing charges of. It is interesting that in the subculture of prison inmates, people who have committed horrific felonies, there is still some semblence of decency as they do not tolerate child molesters.
Thi should be a wake up call to parents to be aware of what your kids are doing on line as much as possible and keep the communication lines open. I am glad mine are all gorwn now with all the kids face today. I hope the victim does okay in the future.
What a sicko. I think sex offended should get a Facebook restriction along with releases requirements.
I say chemically castrate the sick bastard. I hope he goes away and doesn’t get protective custody. Let him see what it’s like on the other end of rape.