Substitute teacher, day care worker in region charged with possessing, dealing in child porn



SEATTLE -- A longtime substitute teacher and day care worker in the Puget Sound region has been arrested by Seattle detectives for allegedly downloading hours of video showing children being sexually abused, the Seattle Police Department said Friday.

Sean Christopher Clark, 46, was charged in King  County Superior Court Friday with possession and dealing in child porn. The suspect's bail has been set at $500,000, and his arraignment is set for June 16.

SPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force began investigating the 46-year-old man earlier this year after following a trail of data on a file-sharing service, police said.

Detectives discovered a two-hour video of child sexual abuse, posted online as “Best of 2010-2011 Compilation Volume 1,” was being downloaded and shared on a computer in Snoqualmie, police said.

The ICAC task force arrested the suspect at his home Thursday, conducted an extensive interview with the man before booking him into the King County Jail, police said.

Police said they learned that, since 2004, the man has worked in child care in Issaquah and as a substitute teacher in the Tahoma, Kent, Enumclaw and, most recently, Snoqualmie school districts.

"Detectives have not found any evidence the man had any sexual contact with children under his care," Seattle police said in a news release. "However, during an interview with police, the man alluded to incidents of sexual misconduct at a school in California and a daycare in Issaquah. Police continue to investigate and are working prosecutors to notify local school districts about the case."

In court documents, police said Clark "admitted that he had a sexual interest in children as young as 9, though he admitted that he viewed and downloaded videos of child pornography that included children as young as toddlers."

Police say he admitted to having sex with  a 14-year-old prostitute in California years ago. SPD is investigating that as well.

Also, police said none of the children or toddlers in the videos have been identified as local children. They say Clark downloaded the videos and distributed them but did not film them.