Teacher booked in sexting case with Burbank teen
A Kennewick elementary school teacher was arrested Thursday for allegedly possessing child pornography in a case involving a Walla Walla County student, officials said.
Edwin J. Bush, 29, of Kennewick, made his first appearance in Walla Walla County Superior Court this morning, and faces charges of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
Bail was set this morning at $30,000.
Bush is a teacher at Hawthorn Elementary School in Kennewick, and a wrestling coach for Kiona-Benton City School District.
After his arrest, the Kennewick school district placed him on administrative leave, the Tri-City Herald reported.
According to a report presented in court this morning by the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office, Bush exchanged numerous sexually-charged text and picture messages with a 17-year-old girl who attends Columbia High School in Burbank.
The two had met through school activities and became Facebook friends in May, the report said.
An investigation by the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office showed that between May 17 and July 17, Bush received at least eight nude photos, among 60 attachments sent from the teen’s Facebook account, the report said.
Bush sent the teen nude photos of himself, and numerous sexually explicit messages were exchanged between their two accounts. At one point, Bush reportedly asked the girl if she would still be in high school next year. When she said yes, he requested that she move to Kiona-Benton high school, where he coached. He requested nude photographs on multiple occasions.
The communications were obtained through a search warrant of the teen’s cellphone after the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s office received a “sexting” report on July 24.
Bush was arrested Thursday after Walla Walla County Sheriff’s detectives served a search warrant in Benton County.
While the age of sexual consent in Washington State is 16 years old, sexually explicit photographs of a minor under 18 years old are considered child pornography.
U-B reporter Terry McConn contributed to this report.