Mill Creek man arrested on suspicion of child molestation

Published 11:13 am Thursday, July 23, 2026

EVERETT — A Mill Creek man with ties to local youth sports was arrested on suspicion of child molestation, and detectives believe there may be more victims.

Bryce Shepherd, 44, was booked into Snohomish County Jail on Tuesday afternoon accused of three counts of felony child molestation, online records said.

An arrest affidavit from the Mill Creek Police Department alleges the man inappropriately touched two teen girls at his home in Mill Creek. One of the victims reportedly told police the abuse had been going on for years, court documents said.

A police report in the case indicates that Shepherd and his wife are involved in local youth sports, but Mill Creek police declined to say which organization, citing the ongoing investigation.

“Due to his position and the fact that he’s been doing it for a period of time allows for the possibility that there may have been more people exposed,” Eric Chartrand, deputy director of public safety for Mill Creek police, told The Daily Herald on Thursday.

The allegations were first reported last month after one of the teens told their parents that Shepherd put his hands down her pants during a sleepover, a police report said.

The teen said the man told her “I like how you look at me,” and sent her messages saying that if she got cold, she could go sleep in his room with him, according to court documents.

The victim alleged Shepherd would sit with the teens on the couch and massage her leg, telling police it happened “a lot,” court records said.

A second victim then reported the man would routinely give her massages, which progressed to the man touching the teen’s breasts and vagina, court documents said. The teen told investigators when she would pull away, Shepherd would still “try to do it anyways,” according to court records.

Officers received messages the man sent to the teens on apps like TikTok and Snapchat, including pictures of himself with a filter to make himself appear younger and requests to hang out alone with the teens, documents said.

Shepherd reportedly was known to offer to take the teen girls out driving in his truck, the police report said.

According to court documents, investigators believe Shepherd may have been attempting to groom the girls by trying to gain their trust and offering special attention.

One of the victims said the man would try to be a “father figure to me, and he kind of was, until he would do that,” she told investigators. She said the man would always “Find a way to be next to me. No matter what,” court documents said.

The teen told police Shepherd touched her almost every time she’d go to his house over a two-year span starting in 2024, according to court documents.

Shepherd reportedly denied touching the teens, the police report said.

He’s charged with one count of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation.

Shepherd was released from jail on Wednesday night after posting a $150,000 bond, online jail records said. According to the conditions of his release, he’s not allowed to have any contact with minors, other than supervised visits with his own kids.

If you or someone you know may have been a victim of Shepherd, contact Mill Creek police Detective Jake McClain at jake.mcclain@millcreekwa.gov.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com