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Police discovered child sexual abuse material on a 78-year-old man’s desk during a welfare check in Washington, authorities said.
Authorities responded to his home at about 1:15 p.m. Oct. 4, the Bellevue Police Department said in an Oct. 8 news release.
A concerned family member had contacted police and asked them to check on him, police spokesperson Drew Anderson told McClatchy News by phone Oct. 9.
Initially, officers tried to contact the man, who lives alone, at his front door but couldn’t reach him, so they went to his back door, police said.
That’s where they were able to talk to him and saw “what appeared to be many images of child sexual abuse material on a desk,” police said.
He then told police he had “large quantities of explicit material both at his residence and at a storage facility,” authorities said.
Richard Rowlett was arrested and accused of possessing child sexual abuse material.
Anyone with information about Rowlett should contact the Bellevue Police Department’s non-emergency line at 425-577-5656 or by emailing BellevuePD@bellevuewa.gov.
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