A Sequim resident faces several felony charges after an extensive, multiyear probe uncovered substantial child sexual abuse material in his possession, culminating in a Christmas Eve search of his home and subsequent arrest.
The suspect, a 23-year-old man identified as Carl J. King, was taken into custody on April 23, 2026, at his residence on Evening Star Way in Sequim. Deputies from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, working alongside local officers from the Sequim Police Department, executed the arrest. He entered the county jail on four counts involving images and videos of minors in sexually explicit situations, plus one count concerning the intentional concealment of physical evidence.
Court documents show the inquiry into King’s activities began more than two years ago. Detectives first received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on November 3, 2023, alerting them to a cloud-based upload containing illicit visual content featuring prepubescent children.
The case gained momentum during a coordinated search on December 24, 2025, when officers arrived at King’s home. His father, Clifford King, responded to the door, and the suspect reportedly remarked to investigators, “I’m just gunna plead the 5th here.” While officers were inside, they saw King moving to stow his smartphone beneath a step at the back of the property. The device was secured and later examined using digital forensic tools, uncovering deliberate efforts to mask the illicit material.
Investigators determined King accessed the dark web using the Tor browser and made purchases with Bitcoin to acquire the content. Once downloaded, the material was stored in a covert photo archive on his phone, designed to appear as a standard calculator app.
King appeared in Clallam County Superior Court the day after his arrest, with public defender Alex Stalker representing him. Prosecutors sought a $100,000 bail, citing the seriousness of the offenses. However, Judge Elizabeth Stanley granted his release without financial bond. Records show he left the jail that afternoon at 2:33 p.m.
Conditions of his release include limiting travel to Washington State, residing with his parents, and refraining from unsupervised interaction with children under 16. His formal arraignment is set for later today at 1:00 p.m.
His pretrial proceedings before Judge Stanley have drawn attention amid broader scrutiny of the county’s judicial system, especially as a large-scale inquiry into judicial conduct continues.
Public property records indicate the Evening Star Way home is owned by Carl’s parents, Clifford and Jaime King. Their affiliation with the Dungeness Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ties them to the Port Angeles Stake, placing them within a congregation currently highlighted in ongoing oversight efforts.
The Port Angeles Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remains central to a probe by the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct regarding Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden. Earlier reporting detailed Basden’s dual roles, having previously led the Stake and more recently serving as a counselor in a local bishopric.
Several formal complaints filed with the commission allege that the judge utilized his judicial position to create a protective environment for members of his faith community. Accusers claim this "closed-loop" system allowed the court to insulate insiders from standard legal scrutiny while imposing harsher penalties on those outside the faith.
Additional allegations suggest the judge engaged in a practice reminiscent of 19th-century ecclesiastical procedures, often termed "shadow courts." This involved using his religious authority to resolve serious misconduct internally, while simultaneously leveraging the civil bench to prevent law enforcement from pursuing these cases.
This pattern of institutional support has been highlighted in recent local scandals. In the Quillayute Valley School District case, a para-educator with strong connections to the Stake pleaded guilty to raping a 13-year-old student. Following her arrest, prominent members of the local congregation publicly endorsed her and sent letters of encouragement while she was incarcerated.
In a separate, ongoing civil matter, the judge is accused of protecting an LDS member facing allegations of child sexual abuse. During those proceedings, a fellow member of the judge’s bishopric reportedly acted as an aggressive advocate for the accused party.
Now that a local man, Carl King, has been charged with felony counts related to the exploitation of children, residents of Clallam County are questioning whether the defendant will receive fair treatment under secular law. The public is left wondering if the same network of institutional defenses previously employed by the Stake will intervene to shield the defendant from full accountability.