Seattle man pleads not guilty for child sex abuse material found in dumpsters
A Seattle man has pleaded not guilty in court for charges related to child sex abuse material.
Binders of proof of crimes were found in a Lower Queen Anne dumpster recently, according to police.
He was not granted home electronic monitoring, despite lawyer's request due to medical conditions.
SEATTLE - For the first time, we're getting a look at the moment officers found binders filled with photos containing child sexual abuse material in a dumpster in Lower Queen Anne last month.
FOX 13 obtained body camera footage showing an officer climbing into one of the dumpsters. They were mindful not to capture the graphic images on their cameras, but you can hear them as find those photos.
"Oh my gosh dude they're everywhere," one of the officers can be heard saying. "These are children for purchase."
The backstory
In total, 14 binders were found. "This is starting to make me think this came out of someone's apartment here," an officer can also be heard saying on the body camera video.
Seattle Police arrested Arthur Charles Rickard in connection with possessing the child sex abuse material.
"This is a defendant who is engaging in the market of misery of sexually abused children," Douglas Wagoner, Director of Legislative and Public Affairs for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said.
Dig deeper
On Monday, the 63-year-old appeared in court and pleaded not guilty. His attorney asked the judge for electronic home detention. They said he has severe health issues, like lung disease and is supposed to be on oxygen.
"Nothing has occurred at any point after the year of 1983, that's over 40 years ago," Rickard's attorney said in court.
Two homeless people were "looking into dumpsters for anything that appeared valuable, when they found a notebook," according to court records. "When they opened it up, they saw photos of what was obviously children, engaged in sexually explicit conduct." Police traced the binders back to Rickard. He admitted to recently throwing them away. According to court documents.
"I understand Mr. Rickard has no criminal history, but during the course of this investigation apparently the allegations are that he admitted to abusing up to 50 children, I know he stated that stopped in the 80's, but obviously the police then found material that allegedly recently disposed of," Judge Brian Mcdonald said.
The judge denied Rickard's request for electronic home detention and kept bail at $50,000 dollars.
"The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, under our elected prosecutor Leesa Manion takes child sex abuse cases extraordinarily seriously," Wagoner said. He told FOX 13, this case comes as their office is fighting for SB 5105 which concerns child sex abuse and depictions of children and would extend the statute of limitations from three years to 10 years. "It also includes non-identifiable minors in the fabricated images statute so no longer would the child have to be identified for it to be considered child sex abuse material if it's being generated through AI," Wagoner said. The bill has been referred to the appropriations committee.
If Rickard does make bail, the judge has ruled that he has no contact with children. His trial is scheduled for May 27th.
The Source
Information for this article comes from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
Seattle driver plummets off multi-story parking garage, 77-year-old rescued
Thousands attend Seattle 'Hands Off!' rally against Trump, Elon Musk
Tacoma police shoot, kill carjacking suspect Saturday afternoon
Sue Bird named to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Trump tariffs live updates: Global markets plunge as countries scramble to respond
USPS mail delivery changes begin: Here's what to know
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
American accused of faking death, fleeing US found guilty of raping former girlfriend
A man accused of faking his death and fleeing the country to avoid facing sexual assault charges was convicted Wednesday of first-degree felony rape. The verdict in the 2008 rape case came after a three-day trial in which the accuser and her parents testified. Nicholas Rossi, who refused to testify on his own behalf, is set to be sentenced Oct. 20 and faces five years to life in prison under Utah law. He is also slated to stand trial in September for a Utah County rape. "We are grateful to the survivor in this case for her willingness to come forward, years after this attack took place," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. "We appreciate her patience as we worked to bring the defendant back to Salt Lake County so that this trial could take place and she could get justice. It took courage and bravery to take the stand and confront her attacker to hold him accountable." Authorities identified Rossi from a decade-old DNA rape kit in 2018, according to the Associated Press. He was charged as Utah was working to clear its rape kit backlog. Rossi, who is from Rhode Island, returned to his home state before fleeing the U.S. While in Rhode Island, Rossi told reporters he had late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Later, an online obituary stated that Rossi had died in February 2020, though several people close to him cast doubt on his death. He was arrested in Scotland in 2021 when hospital staff recognized his tattoos from an Interpol notice. However, Rossi claimed he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who had never been to the U.S. This was one of many aliases investigators say Rossi used. He was extradited to Utah in January 2024. The victim said she met Rossi — whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian — as she was recovering from a traumatic brain injury. The Associated Press reported that the victim answered a personal ad Rossi posted on Craigslist. The relationship progressed quickly, and they were engaged just two weeks after meeting, according to the Associated Press. "He was very charming and seemed very interested in school and politics and music, and he was just very nice to me," the victim told the jury, according to Fox 13 Salt Lake City. The victim recalled being asked to pay for dates, Rossi's car repairs, and even their engagement rings. She also said she had to lend Rossi $1,000 so he wouldn't be evicted from his apartment. Rossi's lawyers apparently tried to paint the victim as being resentful and seeking revenge for being put in this financial position. Rossi later raped the victim in his bedroom one night after the victim drove him home, according to her testimony. She cited her parents' dismissive response as the reason she did not come forward at the time. Her father — from whom she is estranged, allegedly for reasons unrelated to Rossi — said that if his daughter told him she had been raped, he didn't hear it, according to Fox 13 Salt Lake City. The victim said she decided to come forward years later after seeing a news report stating that Rossi was accused of another rape. Rossi is accused of raping another former girlfriend at his apartment in September 2008 when she came to his apartment to get money she claimed he stole from her to buy a computer. Though Rossi will not stand trial in this case until next month, the victim testified Tuesday in the Salt Lake City case about her experience with the now-convicted rapist. The Utah County victim went to police at the time of the alleged rape to report Rossi, who later claimed in an interview with authorities that she had raped him and threatened to have him killed. It remains to be seen how this will play out in court next month.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
Suspect on the loose after escaping custody at Seattle airport
Authorities are urging the public to remain on alert after 20-year-old John Nino escaped custody at Sea-Tac airport on August 12. (Credit: FOX 13 Seattle)
USA Today
31-07-2025
- USA Today
Infant found abandoned in Tennessee is related to 4 people found dead
The names of the four people found dead in Lake County, Tennessee, have been released by authorities. District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. has also confirmed that the deceased are relatives of an infant that was found abandoned. They have been identified as 15-year-old Braydon Williams, 20-year-old Adrianna Williams, 21-year-old James M. Wilson, and 38-year-old Cortney Rose, according to a July 30 update shared by the Dyer County Sheriff's Office. In one of the initial updates about the case on July 29, the sheriff's office stated in a Facebook post that they wanted to speak to Cortney Rose, Matthew Wilson, and Adrianna Williams. Their bodies were discovered on July 29 in Tiptonville, a town in Lake County, hours after authorities found an abandoned infant in a car seat outside an estimated 40 miles away near Tigrett in Dyer County. More news: An infant was found abandoned. Then, police discovered 4 people dead. Baby's parents, grandmother, and uncle were found dead: Reports According to outlets Fox 13, WRAL, and People, the victims were relatives of the surviving baby, including the parents, grandmother, and uncle. Their identities were not initially released pending notification to the family. Investigators are looking for suspects in connection with the case. The baby was found in front of someone's yard On July 29, Dyer County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a call about the reported 7-month-old girl just after 3:00 p.m. Witnesses contacted the sheriff's office after seeing the infant sitting in a car seat in a person's front yard near Tigrett. Officials shared that "a dark-colored minivan or a white mid-size SUV was reported to have dropped off" the child. Soon after, the four bodies were discovered, and authorities announced the possible connection between the two cases. Speaking to WMC-TV, longtime Lake County resident Melissa Peal called the events "horrific" and "bad for this community." Investigation underway into both incidents Dyer and Lake County District Attorney Danny Goodman told the outlet that the community shouldn't be concerned, and it "appears to be an isolated incident." The Dyer County Sheriff's Office is working with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, as well as several other agencies, to investigate. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@
