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.
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