A Washougal man who reportedly worked with kids during after-school activities is accused of three counts of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Jesse Bulakites, 20, appeared on the allegations Thursday in Clark County Superior Court. A judge granted him supervised release, and he is scheduled to be arraigned June 21, court records show.
On May 10, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children informed Vancouver police that six files containing child sex abuse were found on a Google Drive account in August 2022, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Detectives said the billing information, a Washougal address and a phone number linked to the account indicated it belonged to Bulakites, according to the affidavit, and the file had apparently been accessed in Clark County.
Investigators also located a Facebook post by Bulakites offering baby-sitting services in the area and noting he works with kids during the week. The post also includes a phone number, which is the same number linked to the Google account, court records state.
Detectives also noted Bulakites worked for the Clark County YMCA, which included coordinating after-school activities at Felida Elementary School, according to the affidavit.
“In this case, the suspect has positioned himself in a position of trust — an after-school coordinator with the YMCA — in which he is allowed almost constant unfettered access to the same age children as were depicted in the child sex abuse material he consumes,” the affidavit states.
YMCA CEO Tyler Wright said Friday Bulakites was fired as soon as law enforcement notified organization leadership of his arrest and court appearance. He said they have no information that any crimes occurred in the YMCA programs or on YMCA property.
Wright said they also notified families and the school district.
“Upon notification of this, we immediately removed the individual’s access to school buildings, all Y facilities, Y technology systems and software, all information related to Y activities and participants and terminated his employment,” Wright said.
On June 7, officers found Bulakites at the Hillcrest Church, 14410 N.W. 21st Ave. They arrested Bulakites outside the church without incident, according to court records.
Police ask anyone with information about the case to contact Det. James Dewey at james.dewey@cityofvancouver.us.
