A Vancouver man was sentenced Monday to 5 1/2 years to life in prison for attempting to facilitate sex between a man and a 12-year-old girl.
William Arnol Young, 38, pleaded guilty Oct. 25 to attempted indecent liberties with force, first-degree possession of child pornography and communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
Clark County Superior Court Judge John Fairgrieve’s sentence falls at the high end of Young’s standard sentencing range of at least 4 to 5 1/2 years in prison under state law. It also follows the recommendation of a pre-sentence report by the state Department of Corrections.
After serving the minimum sentence, Young will be eligible for release, but depending on his behavior in prison and willingness to participate in treatment, it could be longer — up to life in prison. If and when he is released, Young will be on probation for the rest of his life.
Young originally was arrested on suspicion of second-degree attempted rape of a child, communication with a minor for immoral purposes and four counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct before entering the guilty pleas.
On May 5, officers with the Vancouver Police Department Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit arrested Michael G. Carruth, 56, of Mount Vernon, as he stood outside the Motel 6 on Northeast Chkalov Drive, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Carruth was waiting to meet with someone he believed was a girl whom he had been text messaging for more than a month, the affidavit said.
After receiving a text from Carruth in March, the girl told her parents, and they quickly called police, according to court records.
Posing as the girl, a police sergeant with the cybercrimes unit then texted Carruth, and the conversation quickly turned sexual, according to the affidavit. The conversations continued for several weeks.
Carruth eventually arranged to meet the girl at a Vancouver motel room, where he was arrested, according to the affidavit. Carruth was sentenced Nov. 22 in Clark County Superior Court to four years to life in prison.
A search of Carruth’s phone revealed extensive communication with Young, according to another probable cause affidavit. Additionally, on Feb. 9, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded a Facebook message sent to all of the friends associated with Young’s account that included child pornography, the affidavit said.
Cybercrimes detectives contacted Young and seized his cellphone July 5, according to the affidavit. The phone had about 150 videos and photos of child pornography along with communications with multiple people in which Young posed as the girl and described sexual acts with an older man, the affidavit said.
Young admitted to police that he posed as the girl and Carruth, according to the affidavit.
Using the messaging app Kik, he had traded photos of several girls, including the victim, fully clothed or in bathing suits, according to the affidavit. Young gave Carruth the girl’s phone number to facilitate sexual activity in hopes of receiving videos or pictures for his own gratification, the affidavit said.
“I am sorry for my actions. I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt,” Young said during the sentencing hearing Monday. “I hope she can forgive me one day.”
