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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Morgenstern faces federal charges for alleged sexual assault in Idaho

A physician from Nine Mile Falls charged with child rape in Stevens County now faces federal charges tied to alleged trips across state lines where he molested young boys. He’ll remain in custody pending a hearing Thursday. Six days after a 13-year-old phoned 911 while fleeing Craig Morgenstern’s home alleging he’d been molested while the doctor filmed, the 45-year-old stood before a federal judge in leg irons and a neon green Spokane County Jail jumpsuit as new federal charges were read. The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint Friday accusing Morgenstern of transporting a minor across state lines for aggravated sexual abuse, and production of child pornography. “I’m very tired,” Morgenstern told U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Rodgers. Morgenstern was booked into Spokane County Jail just before 9 p.m. Thursday. He’d been arrested and brought before a judge in Stevens County earlier in the day, where his bond was set at $250,000 on child rape charges. Per federal court procedure, Morgenstern will appear before Rodgers again next week to address the issue of bond. At that hearing, Morgenstern may offer evidence supporting his release on bond, while the government must prove it has enough evidence to hold him on the proposed charges. Morgenstern has been suspended from his job as an emergency room physician at the Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Northwest confirmed Friday that Morgenstern had served as a mentor for a boy in their program through March 2013. Chief Executive Officer Darin Christensen said his organization was cooperating with law enforcement. “We are deeply saddened by the allegations and want to express our wishes of support to the young man, his family and any others who may have been affected by this,” Christensen said in a written statement. The 25-page criminal complaint filed Friday in the federal District Court of Eastern Washington lists many of the same allegations already filed in Stevens County. The 13-year-old, whose urine tested positive for a sedative last week, was also allegedly filmed in a hotel room connected to the Triple Play attraction in Hayden, Idaho. A video recovered from a memory card found in Morgenstern’s residence showed what appeared to be the same boy from the Saturday incident and another boy lying on a bed, apparently asleep, while Morgenstern molested the first boy, according to court documents. Stevens County detectives initially questioned Morgenstern at his home and photographed evidence early Saturday, according to court records. The boy told police he’d been watching scary movies with Morgenstern when the physician handed him a mug of hot chocolate with what appeared to be “flakes” on the surface. The boy said Morgenstern told him it was cinnamon, according to court records. The boy’s urine tested positive for benzodiazepine, a family of drugs used to treat anxiety and insomnia, according to court records. The drugs act as sedatives. Morgenstern denied to police any sexual contact took place, saying the boy fell asleep during the film and he placed him in bed to keep warm. Morgenstern did not allow police to seize his electronic devices early Saturday. When they returned with a warrant later in the weekend, detectives found several pieces of evidence missing, according to court records. Morgenstern stayed at a home in Spokane from Sunday through Monday afternoon, according to court records. He stowed his iPad and iPhone there, the homeowner told police. The homeowner drove Morgenstern to jail Monday after a warrant had been issued for his arrest, and they stopped at a Dumpster for Morgenstern to break a laptop and remove the hard drive, the homeowner told police. Detectives also seized a desktop computer and a digital camera at Morgenstern’s residence. A forensic examiner in Spokane County said Thursday both of those devices contained video and picture files consistent with the boy’s story and the video of the alleged molestation in the Hayden hotel room, according to court documents. Tim Rasmussen, Stevens County prosecuting attorney, said early Friday his office would continue to prosecute the child rape case. He credited Stevens County law enforcement with apprehending Morgenstern. “I’m tremendously proud of the detectives in Stevens County,” he said. The aggravated sexual assault charge carries a potential penalty of 30 years to life in prison. The production of child pornography charge carries a potential penalty of 15 years to 30 years in prison.