School psychologist charged with possession of extreme child porn

May 14, 2014

A school psychologist living on the Canadian border faces federal charges following allegations that he bought and traded child pornography online.

Federal prosecutors contend William Brook downloaded hundreds of child rape photos and videos at his home in Point Roberts, a small Whatcom County community located on a peninsula with no land access to the United States.

When agents arrived at his home last week, Brook was working for the school system in Delta, B.C. Brook has since been jailed

Writing the court, a Homeland Security Investigations agent said his agency received a tip in mid-April that Brook had been buying child pornography online. Investigators soon learned Brook was working as a school psychologist at the Delta School District.

Agents stopped Brook’s car Wednesday as he attempted to return to Point Roberts from Canada and seized his school district-issued computer.

While no child pornography was found during the stop, the Homeland Security agent said Brook “acted extremely nervous.” As the interview continued, though, Brook is alleged to have admitted to exchanging photos of “kids” on chat websites.

“I asked Brook if the photos were of nude children and Brook replied, ‘some of them,’” the agent said in court papers.

Brook told investigators those photos were on his home computer, the agent continued, prompting a search Brook’s Benson Road home. Arriving at the duplex, Brook invited agents in and then told them, “I just want to erase the stuff,” according to court papers.

Agents allowed Brook to open an online profile he’d created in which he declared his “love” for “pre-teen/pubescent boys and young teens” no older than 14, the Homeland Security agent told the court. Agents claim to have seen that Brook had downloaded child pornography the day before; they then seized the computer.

According to charging papers, investigators found 334 files believed to be child pornography on the laptop, as well as a 4 gigabyte thumb drive filled with additional videos. The images and videos pictured the rape of very young children.

Charged Thursday with possession of child pornography, Brook is expected to appear Monday afternoon before a judge at U.S. District Court in Seattle. He remains jailed without bond pending that hearing.

Source: Levi Pulkkinen, "Feds: School psychologist caught buying, trading child porn," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 12, 2014.