A longtime substitute teacher and daycare worker in the Puget Sound region was arrested by Seattle Police Department detectives Thursday after they found the man had downloaded hours of video showing children being sexually abused.
SPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce began investigating the 46-year-old man earlier this year after following a trail of data on a file-sharing service. Detectives discovered a two-hour video of child sexual abuse, posted online as “Best of 2010-2011 Compilation Volume 1,” was being downloaded and shared on a computer in Snoqualmie, Washington.
The ICAC taskforce arrested the suspect at his home the morning of June 2nd and conducted an extensive interview with the man before booking him into the King County Jail. Police learned that, since 2004, the man has worked in childcare in Issaquah and as a substitute teacher in the Tahoma, Kent, Enumclaw and, most recently, Snoqualmie school districts.
Detectives have not found any evidence the man had any sexual contact with children under his care. However, during an interview with police, the man alluded to incidents of sexual misconduct at a school in California and a daycare in Issaquah. Police continue to investigate and are working prosecutors to notify local school districts about the case.