Court docs detail sexual abuse allegedly committed by Tonasket cult member against 7-year-old daughter

Okanogan -- Court documents obtained by Source ONE News reveal that the litany of abuse charges to be levied against 38-year-old Chris Coombes of Tonasket involved his now 7-year-old daughter.

Coombes was one of a dozen fugitives who were arrested in the ‘Operation Centennial Trail’ that took place earlier this month throughout Okanogan County.

Coombes’ crimes he’s accused of includes: first-degree rape of a child, first-degree child molestation, first and second-degree incest, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree assault resulting in agony or torture, unlawful imprisonment, second-degree criminal mistreatment, and various charges of second-degree assault against a child.

A probable cause affidavit says the accusations arose from a CPS referral from Coombes’ daughter’s therapist in Pennsylvania in the spring of 2023.

The probable cause affidavit lists Coombes' 7-year-old daughter as ‘AC.'

While living with Coombes in Washington from 2020 to 2022, AC says her dad would “wash her” in the shower and would insert his fingers into her private area and ‘laugh.’ AC says Coombes did this on a regular basis and would do it in a way that would her hurt, causing her to have pain in her genitalia and blood in her urine.

AC and her family used to be associated with cult that Coombes remains associated with known as ‘The Body.’ The cult apparently condoned members touching each other’s privates as a rite of passage to become “part of the physical world.”

AC did not appear to disclose any other forms of sexual abuse based on a forensic interview with authorities.

As for the assault Coombes was wanted for, AC says dads in the cult would have rods that they would use to discipline their children. AC says she would often be hit in the buttocks and legs with the rod. Further investigation also revealed that Coombes would not take his kids to the doctor when they were sick. AC recalled being told that she was fine after throwing up and was spanked after throwing up on the bed because she woke up Coombes.

AC’s testimony gave law enforcement probable cause to arrest Coombes. Coombes was still residing at the cult compound in Tonasket, but had driven his motorcycle into Okanogan where he was detained and booked into jail.

Coombes was arraigned on Monday, Aug. 21.

Coombes was also arrested in March 2022 at the compound he was living at on a writ of habeas corpus. Coombes refused to give up his daughter to the Department of Health and Human Services after the girl’s mother, Carrie Coombes, contacted authorities expressing concern for her daughter’s well-being after Christopher refused to return his daughter to her mother who had custody of the girl.

The exchange was caught on camera referring to his daughter as “property.”

Coombes' 7-year-old and 4-year-old daughters live in Pennsylvania with their mother, Carrie. Carrie has sole custody of both children.