Whatcom County man arrested for allegedly possessing thousands of child pornography files
A Whatcom County man was arrested Monday for allegedly possessing tens of thousands of files of child pornography.
Robert James Howell Jr. of Deming was arrested by Homeland Security Monday, July 26, on suspicion of possession of child pornography and was booked into the Whatcom County Jail.
According to a federal criminal complaint filed Tuesday, July 27, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations field office in Blaine received a tip in August 2019 that a computer IP address accessed a website devoted to the dissemination of child pornography. The website had an emphasis on bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism, gore and death-related material, according to the complaint.
Homeland Security later determined that the IP address belonged to Howell. In early September, a Homeland Security special agent served a search warrant on Howell’s house and seized dozens of digital devices, including a computer and two external hard drives. The special agent attempted to interview Howell, who asked to have an attorney present, the complaint states.
The federal complaint states that while forensic examination of the seized digital devices is ongoing, initial results show “Howell used these devices to store tens of thousands of files depicting child exploitation material. Of particular concern here is the nature of the imagery Howell possessed.”
Howell allegedly collected numerous files that depicted child sexual abuse that involved imagery that included nude, dead or mutilated and injured children, according to the complaint.
Howell was previously a suspect in a 2011 Bellingham Police Department child molestation investigation, according to the federal complaint. Howell had allegedly molested a young girl and threatened her so she wouldn’t tell, the records show.
The victim’s mother initially agreed to do a forensic interview, but later stopped cooperating and did not show up to the scheduled interview. Charges were never filed, the records state.
Howell was also previously a suspect in two prior investigations involving suspected possession of child pornography, the federal complaint shows. Both investigations involved a tip submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
In 2013, Howell became a suspect in a child pornography Homeland Security investigation. Google had submitted an online tip about an email address that had allegedly uploaded four images of child pornography, the court records state.
Records showed the Google account was associated with Howell, records state.
Howell again became a potential suspect in a child pornography case in 2017, the complaint shows.
In the second investigation, Microsoft reported an individual in July 2012 using an email address and the name “Chad Cammer” to upload suspected child pornography to a SkyDrive account in August 2017. The case was referred to the Oregon Department of Justice. While Howell was identified as a potential suspect in the case, Oregon law enforcement ended up referring the case to Washington investigators because Howell is a Washington resident, the court records state.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office took over the case and attempted to speak with Howell. When speaking by phone with a sheriff’s deputy, Howell allegedly told the deputy his identity had been stolen and mentioned the name Cammer as the person who allegedly stole his identity, the records state. Howell allegedly told the deputy he had experienced numerous incidents of online fraud and that his computer had been stolen from a coffee shop, the records show.
The deputy attempted to set up a meeting with Howell, but he contacted an attorney who later called the deputy and said Howell wouldn’t be meeting with the deputy or answering questions, according to court records.
Homeland Security investigators found text files that contained usernames and passwords for various online accounts and profiles, including those associated with the two prior investigations in 2013 and 2017. Multiple social media and dating profiles that appear to be linked to Howell were also found using the usernames, the records show.
Howell was released Thursday on an appearance bond. He has a federal court hearing scheduled for Aug. 30.
Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.
▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.
▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/
▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.
▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org.
