Walla Walla Man Arrested in Waitsburg Child Porn Case

WALLA WALLA - A Walla Walla man who took up residence in Waitsburg this summer was charged today with first-degree rape, sexual exploitation of a minor and first-degree possession of images depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

If convicted of the charges, 31-year-old Carl Grayson Bell Jr. could reportedly be sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. The maximum sentence for first-degree rape of a child is life in prison.

Bell was charged with three counts of first-degree rape of a child, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and 10 counts of first-degree possession of images depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Documents filed with Walla Walla County Superior Court allege that late in August, less than two months after Bell moved to 519 Coppei Ave. in Waitsburg, Wall Walla City Police were tipped off that Bell had been taking inappropriate pictures of a 10-year-old girl.

Investigators said they believe Bell began sending the girl emails from an account he set up posing as a modeling agency asking if she wanted to be a model. Later, she was allegedly told to submit nude pictures of herself, recuit her minor friends to do the same and send the images to Bell at his email address supposedly to pass them on to the fictious modeling agency.

The same documents allege Bell shot digital stills and video footage of him and the girl having sex. On Tuesday afternoon, Walla Walla police searched Bell's work locker and Ford F250 pickup truck at his place of employment, an oil change service station in Walla Walla. They found a laptop and cell phone with some of the reported images.

Bell was arrested and booked into Walla Walla County Jail with bail set at $100,000.

A Times search of court documents found Bell has a record of misdeamors and was charged in 2000 with the false issuance of checks. His 30-day jail sentence was converted to 200 hours of community service.