Welcome to Arrest Stories. A forty-nine-year-old Oregon high school principal has been arrested on child exploitation charges after investigators discovered at least thirty-one images of child sexual assault material linked to his social media accounts. Here's what may have happened.
On Tuesday, Jeremy Peter Williams, principal of Rainier High School, was taken into custody by Cowlitz County authorities following a multi-week investigation that began on August twenty-eighth. Detectives received multiple referrals from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after social media companies flagged suspicious activity.
The investigation started when social media sites reported images with hash matches connected to known child sexual abuse material being sent and received by accounts linked to a Longview, Washington resident. Hash matching is a digital forensic technique where unique codes are generated for every image and compared against databases of known illegal content.
Through search warrants and subpoenas, investigators connected these accounts directly to Williams. The evidence was particularly disturbing, with officials stating, "The investigation ultimately led to the discovery of at least thirty-one images of Child Sexual Assault Material associated with Mr. Williams under circumstances which would involve vulnerable victims, most egregious of which includes in particular an image with a sexual act on an infant child."
On September sixteenth, deputies executed a search warrant at Williams' Longview home, seizing phones, computers, and digital storage devices. Williams was already on paid administrative leave for an unrelated matter involving comments he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Authorities emphasized that evidence does not indicate Rainier School District students were involved in the alleged crimes. The school district released a statement saying, "The safety of our students is our highest priority. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation."
Investigators warn additional charges may be forthcoming as they continue processing seized digital devices. Williams' bond was set at one hundred thousand dollars.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.