Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
According to Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office Chief Criminal Deputy Troy Brightbill, Rainier High School Principal and Cowlitz County (Wash.) resident Jeremy Williams was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on Tuesday, Sept. 16 “on charges of Dealing in Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct and Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct.” According to a Sept. 17 press release, Cowlitz County detectives, on Aug. 28, “received multiple referrals from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reporting incidents related to the trafficking of Child Sexual Assault Material (CSAM).”
The release states social-media sites “reported multiple images with hash matches to known CSAM being sent and received by accounts linked.” Hatch matching is a digital process where a “hash” is generated for a digital file and is then compared against a database. With hashes being confirmed as identical to content previously identified as CSAM, detectives used search warrants and subpoenas “to confirm the association of these accounts” to Williams, according to Brightbill’s release. Arresting Williams, detectives also served a search warrant on his residence. According to the release, “phones, computers, and digital storage devices were seized for further examination.”
Brightbill’s release went on to state, “There is no evidence indicating that any students in that school district were involved. The Rainier School District has confirmed that Williams was on paid administrative leave at the time of his arrest for an unrelated issue.”
When reached for comment by The Eagle, Brightbill said, “Our deputies were not aware that Mr. Williams was a school employee until the day he was arrested.”
In a Wednesday, Sept. 17 letter, Rainier Superintendent Chad Holloway stated, “From what I understand at this time, law enforcement does not believe that any of the images are of Rainier students…We are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation…We are here to provide support.” The following day, Holloway issued a new letter, noting “trained crisis response professionals will be on campus to support our students and staff” and that “additional supports such as these will remain in place as long as they are needed.” Later in the letter, Holloway stated, “I want to assure you that Mr. Williams remains on leave. We are not aware of any connection between Mr. Williams’ arrest and any Rainier student. However, if you or someone you know has information that you think could be helpful to the police investigation of Mr. Williams, please share it with Detective Kris Moore at 360-577-3092 at the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. The case number is: A25-20691.Our community is strong and united in our commitment to supporting students. Together, we will navigate this challenging time with resilience and care.” Holloway also noted in his Sept. 18 letter, “the Columbia County mobile crisis line is available for support 24/7 at 503-782-4499.”
Following Williams’ arrest, Rainier Board Chair Eric Schimmel, in a letter to the community, stated, “If you are ever concerned about a child’s safety, please call the statewide abuse hotline at 855- 503-SAFE (7233) or use the Safe Oregon Tipline…We are committed to keeping our schools safe, supportive and focused on students. The school district will continue to share information as needed.”
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