Detectives from the Washington State Patrol (WSP) Missing and Exploited Children’s Task Force (MECTF) arrested a Kent man Thursday for investigation of possession and distribution of child pornography.
The task force began the investigation in mid-January based on a tip from the Seattle Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), according to a State Patrol media release.
The man has not yet been charged. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Detectives located evidence that a 63-year old man had allegedly engaged in the trading of sexually explicit images and videos involving underage children. The images depicted young girls ranging in age from approximately 6 to 17 years old and were traded using the Internet.
Detectives traced the images to a computer at the man’s residence on 46th Avenue South in Kent. A search warrant was executed Thursday at which time additional images and videos were found. The man was arrested without incident and booked into the King County jail.
There is no evidence at this time that the man engaged in direct molestation of victims, instead trafficking in images created by others. He is not believed to have had routine contact with children in connection with employment nor been in any position of adult trust.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected.
MECTF is a multi-agency task force within the WSP composed of detectives from the WSP and the Lakewood Police Department. MECTF provides support to local agencies across the state in cases involving missing and abducted children and child exploitation.
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