Jacob Farmer / For Nisqually Valley News
Kevin Mills, the 40-year-old Rochester man accused of sexually assaulting a child, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison in Thurston County Superior Court Oct. 24.
In addition to prison time, Mills must also serve two years and two months of community custody and register as a sex offender for 10 years.
Credit for time served will be determined by the state Department of Corrections.
Judge Allyson Zipp issued the Friday morning sentence, concluding a court case that began with Mills’ preliminary appearance back in May 2024.
On July 11, the business owner and singer pleaded guilty in Thurston County Superior Court to two counts of third-degree assault of a child with sexual motivation, one count of forging a request for medication and one count of luring.
The charge of forging a request for medication was considered a Class A felony offense punishable by up to life in prison. The charges of third-degree assault of a child and luring were considered Class C felony offenses.
Mills initially faced up to life in prison for charges of first-degree rape of a child. He was arrested and booked into the Thurston County jail on May 22, 2024.
Mills posted bail two days later. His release came with a no-contact order protecting the victim, along with conditions that prohibited him from leaving Western Washington.
A jury trial was originally scheduled for Aug. 26, 2024, according to court records, but was postponed a number of times into 2025.
Court documents filed July 11, 2025, state the court was “advised that the defendant wished to enter an Alford plea.” After discussing rights with Mills, the court determined that Mills “made the plea knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently,” and accepted the plea.
Alford pleas are considered guilty pleas, and serve as an acknowledgement that the state prosecution likely has enough evidence to convict the defendant.
They do not, however, serve as an official admission of guilt from the defendant.
A statement of the defendant, also dated July 11, indicated that Mills, “being 18 years or older, for the purpose of sexual gratification, did commit the crime of assault in the third degree against (a) person under the age of 13 years.”
The document further stated that Mills “did willfully forge a request for medication with the intent of causing the death of a patient,” and that Mills “did lure a person under the age of sixteen years without the consent of the person’s parent or guardian with the intent to facilitate the commission of a crime.”
On April 18, 2023, Mills and his wife reportedly disclosed the sexual assault to a pastor at Rochester Life Assembly of God. The pastor did not report it to law enforcement.
The case eventually came to law enforcement after a friend of Mills’ wife reported the assault on May 21, 2024. The friend was then a business partner with Mills.
According to court documents, the friend stated that Mills’ wife came to her about a year earlier with “shocking information” that Mills was “having an affair” with a young girl. At the time, Mills allegedly confirmed the allegations were true.
Mills was previously a co-owner of Hive 5 Bees and Pacific NW Honey Company. He was also the former owner of Mills Diner in Rochester.
According to his website, Mills was born in Winnipeg, Canada, and traveled across Canada and the United States with his evangelist father and family when he was young.
A faith-based country singer, Mills recorded multiple albums under his own name. His latest project, “God, Family & Country,” was released in 2017.
According to the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Mills’ future conditions of community custody include a psychosexual evaluation and compliance with the recommended treatment, as well as a lifetime no-contact order protecting the victim. Mills is also prohibited from possessing firearms or dangerous weapons, or from loitering where minors congregate.
Furthermore, Mills is prohibited from having any contact with minors unless approved by his sex offender treatment provider and community corrections officer.
He must otherwise maintain law-abiding behavior while in community custody.
To read past Chronicle coverage of the case, visit https://tinyurl.com/ysr9725y.
