PORT ANGELES — A jury trial has been set 9 a.m. Jan. 10 for a Sequim attorney who has pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of child pornography.
Fred Warren Inman, a private practice lawyer, pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree possession and second-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct when he was arraigned Friday.
Both charges carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Inman was released on his own recognizance by Judge Lauren Erickson. Deputy prosecuting attorney Sarah Woolman had sought a minimum $10,000 bail, explaining to Peninsula Daily News later that the bail recommendation was as per the nature of the charges.
According to the report from Sequim Police Officer Kindryn Leiter, about 37 images of pre-pubescent girls were found on Inman’s cell phone stored on the Synchoronoss cloud storage feature provided by Verizon.
Leiter reported the images were uploaded between 2002 and 2021 and that Iman came into possession of them in July of this year.
The department was informed of the images through CyberTip and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Leiter reported at least one folder in the cloud contained more than 1,400 images, mainly of Inman engaged in family activities as well as images of Inman in a military uniform, although his branch of service could not be determined.
NCMEC aided Sequim police in identifying some of the girls in the photos with at least two of the girls being identified as victims of abuse from closed FBI and Homeland Security investigations in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Other images of girls in suggestive poses were reportedly taken from commercial publications and websites.
An attorney may be disbarred or suspended if convicted of a felony “involving moral turpitude, in which case the record of conviction shall be conclusive evidence,” according to Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 2.48.220.
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Reporter Ken Park can be reached at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.om.