Bellingham man charged with attempted child rape after Snapchat investigation
Police arrested and charged a Bellingham man for attempted rape of a child, and authorities believe he may have been communicating with multiple minors in the Bellingham area.
Morgan Williams Benson, 44, allegedly started communicating with a 14-year-old Bellingham girl through Snapchat, where he told the girl he was 30 years old and divorced, court documents state.
Benson’s Snapchat username was “tiaslvr” with the public name of T.W., according to the documents.
The girl gave Benson a fake name and age. She later told police she provided fake information to Benson because she didn’t trust him, according to the documents.
Benson allegedly sent several sexually explicit messages and videos to the girl and asked for some in return, although she refused, court documents state.
On May 7, police took over the girl’s Snapchat account with the permission of her parents. An officer began to communicate with Benson, undercover as the girl, according to court documents. On May 9, Benson agreed to meet up with the girl the next day near the Goodwill in Bellingham.
On the morning of May 10, Benson arrived at the agreed-upon location, where he was arrested by police.
When investigators looked through Benson’s Snapchat response data, they determined that he likely had been messaging with, or attempting to message, several other females, court documents show. The ages of those individuals have not been publicly disclosed, although according to the court documents, police believe there is a risk posed to children in the community.
Benson has since been charged with first-degree attempted rape of a child, attempted sexual exploitation of a child and communicating with a minor for an immoral purpose, all felonies.
Benson was bonded out of custody and released May 22.
Editor’s note( May 23): This article was updated to report that Benson has been released from custody.
Resources
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org
Brigid Collins Family Support Center professionals are on-call between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions about children, families, abuse prevention or treatment at (360) 734-4616.
▪ Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.
▪ 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/.
If you or a child is in immediate danger, call 911 and make a report to law enforcement.
To report child abuse or neglect call 1-866-END HARM.
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 10:38 AM.
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