PORT ANGELES — Net Nanny child-sex-sting defendant Clinton Roy Caldwell of Sequim is out on bail again, this time on a charge of felony harassment of a family member, while he awaits a July 16 trial.
Caldwell, 67, paid $50,000 bail Monday, the same day it was set, according to Superior Court records.
A family member had told authorities that she was afraid Caldwell would kill her after he allegedly told another family member he would harm her.
He blamed her for his March 26 arrest on charges of attempted first- and second-degree attempted child rape, she said.
Caldwell was out on $100,000 bail on the attempted child rape charges when he was arrested April 13 on the felony harassment charge.
In setting the $50,000 bail Monday, Judge Brian Coughenour rejected a request by the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for $70,000 bail.
Caldwell owns a Bogey Lane home valued at $163,000, according to county records.
A status hearing on the harassment charge is June 14.
The family member and two other women who said they had lived at the home were granted Superior Court protection orders April 13 after they said they feared that Caldwell would hurt them.
His arrest on the attempted child-rape charges was one of a dozen arrests that authorities made of suspected child predators in the March 23-26 sting in Port Hadlock in Jefferson County.
The men were told they could go to a house — in reality rented by the State Patrol — to meet children.
Authorities targeted Caldwell in the Net Nanny investigation after receiving complaints that he was luring abused and homeless women with promises of housing to his residence and requiring sex in exchange for rent, according to court records.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating reports dating to 2012 made by 41 individuals — mostly women — who “have made various complaints of anything from harassment to sexual assault ” against Caldwell, Detective Sgt. Eric Munger said in an earlier interview.
Caldwell also has a May 16 district court trial set on a charge of unlawful carrying a weapon capable of bodily harm.
The charge is related to an alleged March 22 road-rage incident east of Port Angeles on U.S. Highway 101 involving a female driver. His bail for that charge was $5,000.
________
Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.