ICE agent arrested for allegedly travelling to Othello to pay for sex with 13-year-old

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly traveling to Othello to pay for sex with a 13-year-old girl, Othello Police Chief Phil Schenck said in a press release.

Koby Don Williams, 47, of Ellensburg, was arrested on suspicion of attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor, second-degree attempted rape of a child and communication with a minor for immoral purposes, the press release said.

Police discovered that Williams was employed as a “supervisory detention and deportation officer” with ICE. His supervisors were notified upon his arrest and the department of Homeland Security is fully cooperating with the investigation, police said.

Williams was booked into the Adams County Jail in Ritzville but was released on Wednesday on his own recognizance. In an interview with the Columbia Basin-Herald, Schenck said Williams did not appear to be a flight risk and that his release is not uncommon, considering he did not have a criminal background.

The arrest was part of an operation aimed at reducing human sex trafficking in Othello. The Moses Lake Police Department, Toppenish Police Department and Washington Department of Corrections assisted with the investigation, Othello police said.