Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
DAYTON - On Monday, Columbia County Sheriff's Office personnel arrested Robert Bridwell, 64, at his home in Dayton, after a long investigation of possible child pornography activities.
At approximately 7 a.m., Sheriff Rocky Miller and several deputies served Bridwell with a search warrant at his home in Country Village Court. There, they re- trieved a cell phone memory card, which allegedly con- tained nude photos Bridwell had taken of underage girls.
Bridwell is being held at the Columbia County jail on $100,000 bail. Columbia County Prosecutor Rea Culwell said formal charges would be filed after The Times went to press Tuesday. Charges are expected to include several counts of "possession of depictions of a minor in sexually explicit conduct," which are Class B and C felonies.
The investigation of Bridwell began in late May when Sheriff's Deputy Don Foley was contacted by a Dayton homeowner about suspicious activity in a garage she rented to Bridwell. The homeowner was able to give Foley information about an underage girl who frequent- ed the garage, which Bridwell used for his construction business.
Later in the summer, dep- uties made contact with two potential victims and obtained enough information to allow the Sheriff's office to obtain a search warrant.
According to arrest papers, the victims, both under age 18 at the time, posed while nude for digital photos taken by Bridwell with his cell phone. They were paid between five and 20 dollars per photo. One of the victims said that Bridwell owed her more than $500.
In a brief interview, Cul- well praised the Dayton homeowner who originally contacted the Sheriff's Of- fice. "She's the hero," said Culwell. "We can't catch these people without citizens being willing to come forward."
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