Washougal man sentenced to 77 months in child porn case

A Washougal man whose case has dragged out in the courts since 2011 after being found in possession of hundreds of images of child pornography was sentenced Wednesday to 77 months in prison.

However, Darin R. Vance will remain out of custody while he appeals his case; he posted a $50,000 bond.

Vance, 47, was found guilty during an April bench trial in Clark County Superior Court of 10 counts of first-degree possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, court records show.

Vance’s case was dismissed in 2013 after a judge ruled that the FBI wasn’t compliant with court rules because it failed to make agents available for an interview. That decision was later reversed on appeal, and the case was sent back in 2015 to Superior Court, Deputy Prosecutor Kristine Foerster said.

Vance was arrested by the Vancouver Police Department’s Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit after he distributed child pornography images to an undercover federal agent in another state. His computers and other items were seized from his home in the 2600 block of 34th Street in Washougal, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

He reportedly admitted to police he had searched for and viewed images of child pornography, and investigators later recovered 400 images and videos containing child pornography. Some of the material had been uploaded for distribution, the affidavit states.