A local chaplain and part-time pastor at a Vancouver church was arraigned Tuesday on multiple counts of possessing child pornography.
Randolph B. Warneke, 66, entered not-guilty pleas in Clark County Superior Court to five counts of first-degree possessing depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Warneke was listed online as a chaplain, assistant director of operations and board member for the Community Military Appreciation Committee, a civic nonprofit group that holds community events and supports military families. However, he is no longer on the organization’s website.
The website also said he was an at-large pastor for C3 Church and served as chaplain for Pointman Ministry and Veterans Victory Chapel; chaplain and board member for the Korean War Veterans Association; vice chair and board member for the Clark County Veterans Advisory Board; and a board member for CDM Services. It’s unclear if Warneke is still associated with those organizations.
According to a probable cause affidavit, he sent an image via email in his Google account July 12, which was identified by Google as child pornography. The image depicted two children, who appeared to be younger than 10, engaged in sexual acts, the affidavit states. The company later disabled Warneke’s account.
Google contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the image and provided Warneke’s account information. The tip was assigned to the Vancouver Police Department’s Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit, the affidavit states.
Investigators traced the information back to Warneke and his residence, according to court documents. He was contacted following a traffic stop in his neighborhood. Police served a search warrant at his home and on his vehicle and person, court records show.
Warneke told police his email account was hacked and denied visiting any websites with child pornography. He said he remembered seeing the child pornography image in his account but deleted it. He denied putting it there, according to court documents.
He later admitted to using his cellphone to view pornography but continued to deny that he intentionally viewed child pornography or saved the image to his phone or laptop’s hard drive, the affidavit said.
Investigators found additional web history that showed Warneke had searched for child pornography, court records said.
During his hearing, Warneke’s attorney Diane Sweet asked Judge Gregory Gonzales to reduce her client’s $65,000 bail. He denied the request.
Warneke’s trial was set for Nov. 7.
