Soldier charged after child porn allegedly found on barracks computer

YAKIMA -- A soldier stationed at a training center in Yakima faces charges of possessing child porn after dozens of pictures of him assaulting pre-teen girls were allegedly found on his barracks computer, the FBI said.

Sgt. Brandon Hughes-Ranahan, a U.S. Army veteran and an active member of the Washington Army National Guard, is charged with one count of possessing child pornography.

However, the investigation is ongoing since many of the pictures he was found to posses appear to involve him and minor females, some as young as 6.

According to U.S. Court Documents, investigators became aware of Hughes-Ranahan's child porn when a fellow barracks mate at the Yakima Training Center requested to borrow his computer on July 15.

The fellow soldier allegedly found a stash of child porn labeled Non-Approp. on Hughes-Ranahan's desktop. The soldier told his superiors, and FBI investigators contacted Hughes-Ranahan at his home.

Hughes-Ranahan lives in Olympia with his five children, documents show. There, he allegedly confessed to possessing the porn, saying he planned to delete it. He said he obtained the images while on duty with Iraq, and often traded for the porn with his buddies. H

e also allegedly confessed to taking photos of himself engaged in sexual acts with minors, some as young as 6.

Investigators interviewed other soldiers in Hughes-Ranahan's barracks. They allegedly told investigators that Hughes-Ranahan often made off-putting remarks, such as calling himself a "sexual freak," telling others he told his kids to watch pornography and telling his kids how to best handle an interview with child protective services.

Hughes-Ranahan was deployed twice in Iraq before joining the National Guard.