PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man is facing six felonies involving depictions of a minor and communication with a minor connected to an ongoing illicit relationship with a juvenile.
Jacob R. Henson, 26, remained in the Clallam County jail on Friday in lieu of $100,000 bail. He was charged Wednesday in Clallam County Superior Court with two counts of second-degree possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, a Class B felony, and four counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes (electronic communication), a Class C felony.
A Class B felony is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine plus restitution and assessments. A Class C felony is punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine plus restitution and assessments.
The situation came to light Nov. 20 when Port Angeles Police Sgt. Kori Malone spoke with the juvenile’s mother, who was concerned about a possibly inappropriate relationship between Henson and her 13-year-old daughter, according to the probable cause statement.
Henson had given the girl a phone, which the girl’s mother had confiscated and returned to Henson, who then gave it back to the girl, according to the police report.
The girl’s mother obtained a protection order for herself and her daughter against Henson, which was served on Dec. 1, the probable cause statement said. Then the girl’s mother reported to Port Angeles police on Dec. 2 that her daughter’s Google Drive contained inappropriate photos.
Henson and the girl used the social media application and chatting platform Pumble to communicate, according to the probable cause statement.
A search warrant was obtained for the girl’s Pumble account from June 26, 2023, to Dec. 2, 2023.
On Dec. 5, Pumble’s support team responded to an inquiry from Port Angeles police about whether the girl had used the platform to communicate with a man or men and whether she had sent or received illicit images, according to the probable cause statement.
“Based on our investigation, we can confirm that the minor has also sent images that are illicit in nature,” the probable cause statement said.
The team also responded that information indicated communication between the girl and Henson was ongoing and frequent before and after the protection order was served on Henson.
The girl suggested a username for one of Henson’s two Pumble accounts, the name of a kindergarten friend, the probable cause statement said. One of the accounts contained a deleted Excel spreadsheet of messages between Henson and the girl between Nov. 22 and Dec. 2.
The messages included “intimate knowledge of places, people and events that law enforcement is acquainted with, discussion of illicit activity which included ages, use of vape pens, sharing intimate images, discussion of sexual contact between the two of them, places to meet surreptitiously and how to avoid detection in-person and online,” the statement read.
Another search warrant produced messages between Henson and the girl between June 26, 2023, and March 22, 2024, according to the probable cause statement. They included images of the girl in her underwear or topless, as well as clothed, plus a fake Washington marriage license with the girl and Henson as the bride and groom, married on Nov. 25, 2023, witnessed by one of the girl’s younger siblings.
“In the same folder is an Excel spreadsheet of messages sent between Henson and the daughter, based upon the messages, names and referenced known events,” the statement said. “The messages start on Nov. 23, 2023 and continue through Jan. 8, 2024. The entire spreadsheet is more than 900 pages.”
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached by email at brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.