Tacoma man arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing children, distributing images
A 40-year-old man was arrested Friday at a house in Tacoma who police suspect of filming himself sexually assaulting children and distributing the images.
Tacoma police made the arrest Friday morning during the execution of a search warrant with assistance from state and federal investigators, according to a news release issued by the police. In a tweet, police said two 9-year-old victims have been identified.
Pierce County Jail records show the man was booked on suspicion of first-degree rape of a child, two counts of first-degree child molestation, sexual exploitation of a minor, possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and distributing child pornography.
Police said the joint operation was the result of detectives’ investigation of a cyber tip they received Oct. 25 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to the release, the tip was about concerns of manufactured child pornography.
The man was taken into custody without incident, police said. Police arrested him with assistance from members of the FBI South Sound Child Exploitation and Trafficking Task Force and the Washington State Patrol Missing and Exploited Children Task Force.
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 1:23 PM.
