Bellingham man arrested for allegedly sending sexual photos, messages to a minor
A Bellingham man was arrested Monday after police say he electronically sent a 15-year-old Mississippi girl sexually explicit messages and photos of himself with the knowledge that the victim was underage.
Daniel Glen Koval, 44, was arrested on suspicion of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Police in Mississippi opened an investigation in April 2022 when the parents of the victim became aware that adult men were electronically communicating with their daughter, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
Mississippi investigators identified Koval, who was living in Bellingham, as a possible suspect by comparing photographs and his Washington Department of Licensing photo, Murphy told The Bellingham Herald.
The investigation was transferred to Bellingham Police in August 2022 and the department had sufficient evidence to serve a search warrant for Koval’s residence in October 2022. Police seized several electronic and computer items, according to Murphy.
A forensic examination of the electronics found 17 images that depicted the sexual exploitation of children, not including the victim. The examination also found an explicit photo that Koval electronically sent to the victim during one of their conversations, Murphy told The Herald.
Koval turned himself in to the police at a pre-arranged time on April 17 outside the Whatcom County Jail. Online jail record show he is out of custody after making bond, which was set at $25,000 or $2,500 cash.
