RICHLAND, Wash. – An investigation into child exploitation in the Tri-Cities area resulted in the arrest of two people.
On September 24, the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SER-ICAC) executed search and arrest warrants in Richland and Mason City, Iowa, according to a release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Washington.
Investigators said Joseph Ralland Whipple, 34, was arrested in Mason City, Iowa after officers seized multiple electronic devices from his residence. He faces federal charges for producing, distributing, receiving and possessing sexually explicit images of minors in Tri-Cities.
Whipple also faces charges in Benton County Superior Court for two counts of Rape of a Child in the First Degree, with the Aggravating Circumstance of Pattern of Sexual Abuse, and two counts of Child Molestation in the First Degree. His bail is set at one million dollars.
In Richland, Charles Lon Seltz, 57, was arrested on state charges of Rape of a Child in the First Degree. The SER-ICAC and Richland Police Department seized multiple electronic devices from his home.
Seltz was charged in Benton County Superior Court with four counts of Rape of Child in the First Degree with Aggravating Circumstance of a Pattern of Sexual Abuse. His bail is also set at one million dollars.
