MARYSVILLE — A former member of the Washington State Patrol from Marysville must serve 10 years in federal prison for going to a hotel where he thought he would sexually abuse two children.
Trevor Smith, 30, was a former commercial vehicle enforcement officer, not a fully commissioned trooper, according to the Washington State Patrol. He pleaded guilty in January to attempted enticement of a minor.
In February 2021, Smith answered an ad placed by an undercover officer as part of a sting operation, according to the charges filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Smith believed he was exchanging graphic messages with the mother of two girls, ages 6 and 11, and offered the woman access to abuse his 9-month-old son, the charges said. He thought the woman was offering him to have sex with her children, when in reality, she was an undercover police officer and the children were fake.
After days of exchanging messages, Smith met the officer at a Kirkland restaurant to discuss the details, the charges said. He was arrested after purchasing condoms and traveling to the hotel where he thought the encounter would occur.
Smith admitted he had a long sexual interest in children but claimed he never acted on it, according to the charges.
Once the case came to light, Smith was removed from his duties as a commercial vehicle enforcement officer assigned to the school bus inspection program, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle. No children were present when he conducted inspections on the buses.
Smith had no previous criminal convictions.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faced 14 to 17½ years in prison. Both parties recommended a sentence of 10 years, citing Smith’s acceptance of responsibility.
U.S. District Court Judge John Chun approved the plea agreement April 24.
Correction: A previous version of this story listed Trevor Smith as a Washington State Patrol trooper.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EDHJonTall.
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