Whatcom County man suspected of downloading pornographic images of children
A Ferndale man previously convicted of possessing child pornography is suspected of downloading sexually explicit images of children between the ages of 6 and 10 in early 2019.
The Ferndale Police Department booked Kristian Konrad Cline, 50, into Whatcom County Jail on Friday, Dec. 3.
Whatcom County Superior Court records show Cline has been charged with three counts of second-degree possession of child pornography, and he is scheduled to make his preliminary appearance on Friday, Dec. 10.
According to court documents, the Bellingham Police Department received five cybertips from the Seattle Police Department that were based on reports from Microsoft Online Services showing a user had downloaded images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Bellingham detectives viewed the images that had been downloaded and determined the victims in each to be between 6 and 10 years old, documents state. Detectives also determined the IP address that had downloaded the images was registered to an account Cline was authorized to use, according to documents.
Detectives questioned Cline about the images and he acknowledged he downloaded at least some of the images and others could have been downloaded as part of a group of other images, documents state.
Court records show Cline pleaded guilty in 2012 to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 15 months in prison and three years probation.
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.
This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 11:05 AM.
