EVERETT — A Bothell middle school employee accused of possessing and distributing child sex abuse materials has been indicted on two federal felony charges.
Evan Fowler, 47, of Bothell, was arrested last month following a local police investigation into downloads of images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit activities, court documents said.
Fowler has worked for about two years as a paraeducator at Canyon Park Middle School in the Northshore School District, according to initial arrest documents.
The school district said he was immediately placed on administrative leave after the allegations came to light in mid-October. At the time, a spokesperson said the district confirmed the allegations were not related to any Northshore students.
The federal indictment against Fowler was filed on Wednesday, according to online court records. The allegations from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington mirror the local accusations that led to Fowler’s initial arrest by Bothell police.
Investigators connected multiple downloads of child sex abuse material to an IP address linked to Fowler, court documents said.
When a search warrant was served, Fowler reportedly told investigators he’d downloaded the content on about 20 occasions totalling an estimated 200 gigabytes of the illegal content, according to the indictment.
After his arrest, he wrote an apology letter to the victims saying he was sorry for viewing their abuse, court documents said.
Fowler was booked into Snohomish County Jail on Oct. 14, according to online booking records. He posted a $75,000 bond and was released the following day.
A week later, Fowler made an initial appearance in federal court. He is facing one count of distribution of child pornography and another for posession of child pornography, court documents said.
Fowler was released on his own personal recognizance after surrendering his passport and guaranteeing supervision, according to federal court records. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the U.S. District Courthouse in Seattle on Thursday.
Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com
