Vancouver man suspected of possessing child porn

A Vancouver man suspected of downloading images of child pornography made a first court appearance Thursday.

Michael A. Williamson, 63, appeared in custody in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of four counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Judge Bernard Veljacic set bail at $10,000, which Williamson posted, according to court records. An arraignment hearing was scheduled for Oct. 3.

The Vancouver Police Department Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit began investigating on June 20 following an online cyber tip forwarded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Google submitted information about a photo of suspected child pornography to the National Center before it was forwarded to police. Williamson’s name is included in the username for the Google account where the photo was stored, according to the affidavit.

Police executed a search warrant on the account, finding Williamson’s name, date of birth and address, according to the affidavit. The account included eight photos of child pornography, the affidavit said.

The images depict children between the ages of 7 and 15 years old, according to the affidavit.

Williamson was detained and later arrested when police executed a search warrant Wednesday at his home. Williamson said that the Google account was shut down, but his cellphone was located with the Google account information, according to the affidavit.

Police said the investigation remains active.