West Seattle man charged with child-pornography possession

A Westwood man is charged with possessing and dealing in child pornography, according to King County Superior Court documents. The charges filed within the past week against 23-year-old Chas Voelckel result from a search of his home last October, in an investigation that began in June 2008, when police received a complaint about child-pornography images uploaded to a photo-sharing site. Investigators found 1,600 photos and more than 50 videos on computer equipment linked to Voelckel, according to court documents, which say he did not deny possessing child pornography. Some of the children in the photos are described in the court documents as “known victims” as young as 8 years old, though there is no indication that Voelckel took any of the photos himself. In addition to possession, he also is charged with dealing in child pornography, because of records showing that he transferred files to other people. Prosecutors asked that his bail be set at $25,000, saying investigators found online chat records in which Voelckel expressed a desire to sexually abuse a 10-year-old, and noted that:

“While the defendant may wish to be released to the custody of his mother, it’s important to note that his mother was fully aware that he was downloading and viewing child pornography and saw no problem with it because she believed that the children who were being sexually abused were from other countries.”

The mother’s address is listed as the same as the suspect’s. Meantime, in addition to the charges, court documents also indicate authorities were seeking a warrant for his arrest as of a week ago; there is no indication that he has been booked into King County Jail, so we will be checking tomorrow on his status. (Note: This story was first reported earlier this afternoon at seattlepi.com; we subsequently obtained the court documents, from which we gathered all the information reported in our story.) ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells WSB that Voelckel is scheduled for arraignment next Thursday, though he has not yet been booked.

22 Replies to "West Seattle man charged with child-pornography possession"

  • JanS August 6, 2009 (6:30 pm)

    His mother knew? And it was OK with her because the children were “from another country”? Is she a frikkin’ idiot? Does she get charged with aiding and abetting? G-d, let’s hope so.

    Remember that saying “They live among us”…….

  • Traci August 6, 2009 (6:49 pm)

    Throw his idiot mother in with him.

  • k August 6, 2009 (7:10 pm)

    Ewww! Some people…
    I agree his mother should be charged with aiding and abetting.
    Too bad there isn’t a law against stupidity.

    So how is being released to his mother going to change his behavior?

  • cclarue August 6, 2009 (8:04 pm)

    Living in the general area with 2 young children this makes me sick. I agree with k charge his mother and too bad theres no law against stupidity .

  • pigeonmom August 6, 2009 (8:10 pm)

    OMG
    WTF?
    What his mother said makes me want to VOMIT.
    That goes WAY beyond stupidity.

  • Leroniusmonkfish August 6, 2009 (8:37 pm)

    This is beyond comprehension…it’s o.k. my son, these kids are foreigners. WTF! Has our judicial system reached new levels of tolerance?

  • Jose August 6, 2009 (10:05 pm)

    Leroniusmonkfish: I guess in a society in which you can beat and kick a cop until he’s brain-damaged and not do more than 30 days jail time, what can we expect?

  • TheHouse August 6, 2009 (10:23 pm)

    Please post his address….

  • Vanessa C August 6, 2009 (11:08 pm)

    House, I’ve got the feathers, can you get some tar?

  • lindsey August 7, 2009 (12:07 am)

    wtf!!! charges should be filed aginist her, put that trash away too…

  • WSB August 7, 2009 (12:57 am)

    To The House’s point:
    .
    Our policy, like most if not all media, is to list street names and block numbers, though not specific addresses, when raids and crimes happen. The police search referenced in this case happened – in October 2008, as noted above, so there is no confirmation that the accused still lives there – at a multiplex in the 9400 block of 27th SW. Checking it on a map, we recognize that as an area just south of Roxhill Bog/Playground.

  • Kristina August 7, 2009 (8:58 am)

    I hope that he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I also hope that his mother is prosecuted in some manner. I just can’t understand this type of thing, and the mother’s response leaves me speechless.

  • WSMom August 7, 2009 (9:00 am)

    “a multiplex in the 9400 block of 27th SW. Checking it on a map, we recognize that as an area just south of Roxhill Bog/Playground” I go for walks around that area all the time with my little one – scary!
    I agree that the mom needs to be charged – people who do not report crimes and allow this to go on for months and maybe years need to be held responsible.

  • JH August 7, 2009 (12:49 pm)

    Sick.

  • TheHouse August 7, 2009 (11:46 pm)

    Thank you.

    It’s a shame that the raid occurred Oct 2008 and we just learned of it.

  • WSB August 8, 2009 (1:04 am)

    These are the sort of things that often don’t even turn up on the police scanner – we are alerted to them sometimes when people send notes saying “hey, there are four cops down the block and they’ve been down there for two hours, what’s up?” We in turn contact police to ask. Often the answer is “warrant service,” in which case if only one person wrote us to ask, we e-mail them back and that’s the end of it … we deal with tons of e-mails that never result in stories, they’re just questions from someone who wasn’t able to get the answer themselves, and we’re glad to help. Also, if it’s not a Southwest Precinct-originated case – which may be the situation here, if there is, for example, an Internet crimes detail downtown – it’s also tough to get info. Anyway, we’re watching the jail register to see if this guy turns up in custody before the Thursday court date.

  • theshell August 8, 2009 (4:39 pm)

    very sad….. and also very scary

  • WTF August 9, 2009 (9:16 pm)

    Can you freaking believe this?!?!? Release a 23 year old ADULT male into the “custody” of his mother? Is this State getting more F’ed up everyday, or what.

    And his mother; what an idiot. It’s nice to see the gene pool is tiding up stream. God save us.

  • 37Ray August 10, 2009 (8:56 am)

    According to the P-I blotter blog, there were actually *TWO* unrelated guys busted in West Seattle, and this guy was only one of them. Their article on both is here: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/175638.asp

  • Sara P. August 16, 2009 (1:23 pm)

    This is abhorrent, but I am not surprised. There is a very sick element in most, if not all societies. Men fly to Thailand to have sex with children. In the middle east, girls and women are murdered to save the honor of their families after being raped. Slavery and trafficking is happening right under our noses. We shouldn’t be surprised when we find this stuff happening in our backyards. The problem, I suspect, is a disconnect. An apathetic attitude from those who did know, there was probably more than just his mother. WSB is a great way to stay connected, but in a removed sort of way. Problems and attitudes like this are being nurtured in the privacy of the individuals home, making it difficult to identify and address.

  • Simon August 19, 2009 (8:00 am)

    Not saying the mother shouldn’t be charged, but I personally am glad there isn’t a law against stupidity. I know I’d be in jail because I’ve done stupid things, not illegal stupid things, but stupid things.

  • Russ September 5, 2009 (11:03 pm)

    It’s one thing to support a child in their trouble moments, it is another to condone it. My heart goes out to the real mothers that have to deal with what their child has done, including viewing of child pornography. The pain of this unlawful situation, and what it truly does to a family. That man probably would have not looked at it, had the mother did her dutie and STOPED IT IMMEADIATLY. Get him to therapy. I don’t think we would be talking about. I their would strip her title as a mother and classify her as an embolsole.

Sorry, comment time is over.