An Auburn man who lived with his mother not far from a grade school will go before a judge today to be arraigned on charges of possessing thousands of images of child porn and a 170-page manual on how to groom and then sexually assault children.
A KOMO-TV report says a man identified as Hank Hirst was arrested Tuesday by Federal agents and he now faces charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.
The report says Hirst popped onto the federal radar screen last year when he was linked to an Ohio man who was also arrested on child pornography charges.
Agents allegedly found emails between the Ohio man and an account linked to Hirst in which the user describes “sexually abusing both boys and girls, including an 8-month old, in graphic detail,” according to the report.
In June the FBI raided Hirst’s Auburn home and said they discovered nearly 2,800 pictures and more than 400 videos of child pornography along with a thick document titled, “How To Practice Child Love,” which was described as a step-by-step guide in how adults can “safely engage in sex acts with children without hurting them,” said the report.
FBI agents and police searched Hirst’s rented home – a King County Housing Authority-owned duplex located 100 yards from Terminal Park Elementary School.
