Prosecutors: Ballard sex tourist caught with child porn
A Seattle man described by prosecutors as a suspected sex tourist has been charged with possession of child pornography.
Filing charges earlier this month, King County prosecutors contend Ballard resident Brent Alan Rule was caught at Sea-Tac International Airport with child pornography in his luggage.
Rule, 65, was arrested in November 2011 after returning from a trip to Thailand. He is now charged with possession of child pornography.
According to charging papers, federal authorities suspect Rule has traveled abroad as a sex tourist.
“The Department of Homeland Security clearly considers the defendant as a potential sex tourism perpetrator and thus he has been stopped on numerous occasions when coming and going to southeast Asian countries,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cecelia Gregson said in court documents. “The State has concerns the defendant will simply return to a country with less stringent protections for children to avoid prosecution in this matter.”
Homeland Security agents searching Rule’s luggage initially found images they believed to show a nude girl 12 to 15 years old, a Port of Seattle police officer told the court. Rule was then arrested and questioned about the photos.
Speaking with agents, Rule allegedly told them to take all his photos. Rule was released following the interview, and then evaded investigators when they attempted to continue their work.
Rule has since been charged with possession of child pornography. He is not currently in custody; a $50,000 warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Filing charges earlier this month, King County prosecutors contend Ballard resident Brent Alan Rule was caught at Sea-Tac International Airport with child pornography in his luggage.
Rule, 65, was arrested in November 2011 after returning from a trip to Thailand. He is now charged with possession of child pornography.
According to charging papers, federal authorities suspect Rule has traveled abroad as a sex tourist.
“The Department of Homeland Security clearly considers the defendant as a potential sex tourism perpetrator and thus he has been stopped on numerous occasions when coming and going to southeast Asian countries,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cecelia Gregson said in court documents. “The State has concerns the defendant will simply return to a country with less stringent protections for children to avoid prosecution in this matter.”
Homeland Security agents searching Rule’s luggage initially found images they believed to show a nude girl 12 to 15 years old, a Port of Seattle police officer told the court. Rule was then arrested and questioned about the photos.
Speaking with agents, Rule allegedly told them to take all his photos. Rule was released following the interview, and then evaded investigators when they attempted to continue their work.
Rule has since been charged with possession of child pornography. He is not currently in custody; a $50,000 warrant has been issued for his arrest.
I saw these creepers all over Bangkok. It's IS horrible, but what a shame that Thailand, Cambodia, India, and other countries are KNOWN as good places for that. Â They need to protect their own countries' children and prosecute there on their own soil. Â Instead, they look the other way, prosecuting neither their own pimps/predators or the people who go there.
"Rule was then arrested and questioned about the photos.
Speaking with agents, Rule allegedly told them to take all his photos. Rule was released following the interview, and then evaded investigators when they attempted to continue their work."
Oh man, the criminal justice system's "catch and release" plan for job security is in full effect...
That was nice of him to tell the police to take his child porn, I'm sure they wouldn't have thought of that on their own.
The headline makes it sound like there are bunch of sex tourists running around in Ballard.Â
why does he have to go abroad? Seattle is one of the major markets for underage sex. He can just go down to Pac Hwy like all the other peds.
@chandler  Whoa, how do you know this?Â
@MyTacoma @chandler I've lived in Tacoma most of my life, and NEVER knew Pacific Highway to have that reputation. Sure, for prostitution, but never pedophilia.
Revoke his passport so he can't leave the country. A loser like this will just flee to the same countries he's been going to for these sick pleasures of his.
Gross
"Ballard Sex Tourist" was a Seattle punk band of the late 70's and early 80's. They opened up for The Blackouts, Dr. Albert, The Wipers, Moving Parts and many other local and national acts. They eventually morphed into "Cocaine Sex Party" and moved to SF. They actually sued themselves when they re-recorded, "B/** Me, (two-part vulgarity)," changing only references to sexual acts to ones of cocaine use.Â
@Getov Mylon  Didn't they also tour with Denny Regrade?
@MyTacoma No, that was Albro Swift. Or Sleater Kinney. Real band names, I believe.
This version is better then the published one.
@Getov Mylon The "The More you Know" music just played in my head.Â
@lakeview @Getov Mylon Â
Oh my god. That was funny.
@lakeview No one knows more useless information (some real, some contrived) than The Mylon!
@Doxie Knowing what you asked the spouse is useful information, hence, it's brevity
@Doxie @Getov Mylon @lakeview ...the only downside of a mind like a steel trap is the likelihood of steel oxidizing!
@Getov Mylon @lakeview Oh, Mr. Doxie could give you a run for your money.  He is a fount of useless knowledge, knows every lyric he ever heard and everyone who was ever in any band since the 60s........plus tons of movie lines!  (Someone reminded me that it's called trivia because it's trivial.)  But he can't remember what he has asked me 20 times.  LOL!  If you have a mind like a steep trap - good on you!
Indeed it is. Indeed it is.
@Getov Mylon @lakeview ...and rarely if ever will you find two great stories that could be fitting to such contrived information!! Today was your lucky day sir!