Accused Spanaway Child Molester Arrested; FBI Concerned There Are More Victims

Jeffrey Richard Smiley, 36, of Spanaway, Washington was arrested this morning by Deputies from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from members of the FBI South Sound Gang Task Force.  Smiley was arrested without incident near the intersection of Military Road and 12th Avenue Court East in Spanaway. Smiley was wanted on a warrant issued by Pierce County Superior Court for two counts of First Degree Child Molestation. Smiley was also charged today by complaint in U.S. District Court in Tacoma with Aggravated Sexual Abuse for assaulting a young girl on federal property. Aggravated Sexual Abuse is punishable by a mandatory minimum 30 years’ imprisonment. Smiley is expected to be transferred to federal custody in the near future. The federal charge stems from an ongoing FBI investigation into the discovery of possible child pornography production sites on the remote eastern training grounds of Fort Lewis. While Smiley has no known association with Fort Lewis or the U.S. military, the area of discovery is publicly accessible and adjacent to Spanaway.

According to the criminal complaint, earlier this month a 7-year-old girl disclosed that Smiley had molested her in the woods on the Fort Lewis Military Reservation. Last week, at two locations in the woods, investigators discovered camera equipment, children’s clothes, toys, mattresses, and sexual paraphernalia. Nearby, investigators also found Smiley’s red 1992 Nissan Maxima and impounded it. Inside of the car was computer equipment containing images of child pornography, including images of the young victim who disclosed the abuse.

Due to the number of photographs and the amount of children’s clothes discovered at sites hidden in the woods, investigators are concerned that there are additional victims. Anyone with information or concerns about the possible victimization of a child is asked to contact the FBI at 206-622-0460 or seattle.fbi@ic.fbi.gov.