PORT ANGELES — A Sequim woman made her first court appearance Monday after being arrested in a child pornography investigation.
During a three-month investigation involving Russell J. Rees, 34, of Sequim, detectives from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department said they confiscated his computer and found CDs with recordings of his wife, Gail E. Smith, 39, a 9-year-old girl and another female who is still being investigated.
Smith, who is also known as Gail E. Rees, appeared in Clallam County Superior Court accused of sending or bringing into the state pictures of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, incest, sexual exploitation of a minor with elements of a crime and first-degree child molestation, according to the court documents.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Smith was arrested Saturday.
She is in custody in the Clallam County jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Court documents state that both Rees and Smith have been interviewed by investigators.
Smith was read some e-mail conversations that allegedly took place between her and a man in Georgia who was apparently viewing a Web camera at the time, according to court documents.
“During the interview, Gail told me that she admitted to having done the above sexually explicit acts with [the child] that she knows that it was wrong and is sorry for what she had done,” Sheriff’s Deputy John Hollis said in the statement.
“Although she stated something to the effect of, ‘I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,'” said Hollis.
Rees and Smith both live in the Sequim area, but have separate residences as their divorce becomes final.
The incidents that the couple are accused of are separate, but the computer evidence collected at Rees’ home is what led to the arrest of Smith, Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Lyman Moores said.
Smith’s charges carry up to life in prison with a $50,000 fine as a maximum sentence.
The sexual exploitation and incest charges carry up to 10 years in prison with a $20,000 fine; and the dealing in depictions of a minor and sending or bringing into the state pictures of minors engaged in sexual explicit conduct could carry up to five years in prison with a $10,000 fine, according to the Revised Code of Washington.
Russell J. Rees was formally charged Wednesday and will be arraigned at Clallam County Superior Court at 1:30 p.m. Friday on charges of first-degree rape of a child, first-degree incest and first-degree child molestation.
The charges involve a 9-year-old child who was 5 years old at the time of the alleged incidents, which investigators claim in 2003 in court documents.
The girl is in Child Protection Services custody.
Rees was arrested last Tuesday.
The child rape and child molestation charges against Rees carry maximum sentences of life in prison with a $50,000 fine each, and an incest conviction can result in up to 10 years in prison with a $20,000 fine.
He is in custody at the Clallam County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Smith and Rees are prohibited from speaking to each other, to the alleged victim or to any minors throughout the investigation.
The Georgia man is under investigation, and the sheriff’s office is planning to meet with the FBI agents on Thursday, Moores said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
