Bellevue man charged with incest, molestation and child rape

Detectives learned of the assault after victim tried to end her life.

After more than a year of crime lab work, King County prosecutors have charged a Bellevue man with child rape, molestation and incest.

Ian Amthony Gantt, 38, is being held at King County jail on $250,000 bail. He was arrested April 13 and formally charged five days later.

Bellevue police first learned of the abuse in January 2017 when Gantt’s victim was taken to Overlake Medical Center because she had tried to take her own life. Charging documents state the victim had taken anxiety pills because, she told detectives, Gantt had been sexually abusing her for four years and she was depressed.

In the interview, the girl explained the abuse began when Gantt would sleepwalk while using sleeping pills. Soon, it escalated to when he was awake after she told him what he was doing.

“Ian told [the victim] he was going to ‘do it’ with her while he was awake because he had no memory of the previous times,” court records state. “[The victim] stated Ian’s rationale was that if he was going to get in trouble, he wanted to remember it.”

Gantt allegedly abused the girl as a punishment when she got in trouble.

On April 11, the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed Gantt’s DNA and he was arrested and charged shortly after.