EVERETT — A former bus driver with the Edmonds School District who was arrested last year during a child sexual abuse sting was sentenced to two months in jail Thursday.
Ian Moore, 30, was convicted of communication with a minor for immoral purposes via electronic communications, a felony. Once his time is served, he will remain under community supervision for one year. Moore will have to register as a sex offender.
He was arrested in September during an undercover operation carried out by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. It was called Operation Anvil. Moore was one of eight men taken into custody in Snohomish County, Seattle and St. Louis, Missouri.
A detective posted an ad on Craigslist posing as a 15-year-old girl. Moore responded.
He sent sexually charged messages to the girl during his bus route, according to court papers. Moore used to drive kids with special needs home from school. The messages describe a plan to meet at the girl’s apartment for sex.
Moore sent a text saying he had one last student to drop off before heading over. He also sent a picture of himself in the school bus.
Police greeted him as he drove up.
“I am sorry for what I have done,” Moore said in court Thursday. “I understand the gravity of what I have done.”
Deputy prosecutor Justin Harleman sought “a sentence that punishes Mr. Moore for what he did, but also puts him back on a path for rehabilitation.” He recommended two months in jail. The standard for this type of crime is a one- to three-month sentence, he said.
Defense attorney Jan Olson said Moore will be facing consequences for the rest of his life.
“The turf here is a short field. He’s done enough jail,” Olson told Superior Court Judge Eric Lucas.
Moore had a clean criminal history and had begun meeting with a counselor, Olson said.
“Criminal history doesn’t predict who is a sexual predator out there. Your behavior is dangerous to the community,” Lucas said. “If I could put you in prison for this, I would without hesitation.”
Lucas ordered software to be installed on Moore’s home computer, which sends reports on internet activity to the state Department of Corrections. Given that Moore’s interaction with someone he believed to be a minor started online, this is appropriate, Harleman said.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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