Bellingham man arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse material
A 62-year-old Bellingham man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of possession of and dealing in child sexual abuse material, according to the Bellingham Police Department.
BPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children investigators received five CyberTips in late April alleging that someone, later identified as the 62-year-old, possessed and uploaded images of child sexual abuse to private chatrooms, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy. Two more tips related to the same man were received in July.
Murphy said that analysis of the tips showed 98 files depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Probable cause was found for two crimes: possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and dealing in depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The man was arrested Thursday morning and booked into Whatcom County Jail. Official charges have not been filed as of Monday morning.
Report child sexual exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or call 800-843-5678.
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM.