PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday on charges of possession of child pornography and voyeurism stemming from an investigation after reports of an alleged incident at his home.
Jeromiah Flores, 40, is scheduled to be arraigned in Clallam County Superior Court on two counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the second degree, two counts of voyeurism and one count of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the first degree. He was charged last Wednesday.
He posted bail on Feb. 14 after he was arrested Feb. 11, according to the Clallam County jail roster. Bond was set at $25,000.
Combined, the charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in jail with a $20,000 fine.
Flores worked as a wrestling coach at Stevens Middle School during the 2019-2020 wrestling season, which ended just prior to the start of the investigation, according to Carmen Geyer, communications coordinator for the Port Angeles School District.
“He left at the end of the 2020 wrestling season because the season was over,” Geyer said.
“The head middle school wrestling coach resigned, and when a new head coach is hired, assistant coaches must re-apply,” she said.
Flores also served as a volunteer for the Port Angeles High School wrestling team during the 2021-2022 season, which ended Feb. 6, Geyer said.
Flores was allowed to participate in a volunteer capacity after undergoing standard background checks from the Washington State Patrol and the FBI, Geyer said.
“Mr. Flores passed a WSP and FBI background check to volunteer with the school district in November 2021,” Geyer said.
The investigation was prompted by a phone call from the parent of an alleged victim, according to a probable cause statement from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
An 11-year-old girl told her parents and investigators that Flores had taken photos of her and her younger sister’s genitals during a sleepover with Flores’ daughter at his home, according to the statement. It was after Christmas and before August, the girl said, according to the probable cause statement.
The girl told investigators that Flores had come into his daughter’s room where she and her sister were sleeping. She said she awakened when he entered the room. She said she tried to protect her sister by rolling over and putting an arm around her.
On Oct. 28, 2020, a search warrant of Flores’ home and computer was granted. The computer was sent to be investigated by the State Patrol, according to the probable cause statement.
Investigators said in the statement that a search of the home found soiled women’s and children’s underwear in a shed among pornographic magazines.
The State Patrol returned the seized computer to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office in June 2021, saying 15 images of child pornography had been found on May 27, 2021, according to the statement, which added that a deputy conducted another search and found more images.
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Reporter Ken Park can be reached at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.