A Vancouver man is accused of trying to hire users of an anonymous sexual networking app to abuse a child within his family, court records show.
Vancouver detectives say Jonathan E. Boyles, 40, recently left a higher paying job to accept a position with Vancouver Public Schools, serving lunch to children.
The allegations against Boyles are unrelated to his job with Vancouver Public Schools. The school district did not respond to questions about Boyles’ employment status Thursday afternoon. The exact location of his workplace was not disclosed in court records.
Boyles appeared Wednesday morning in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a minor. Judge David Gregerson set his bail at $40,000. Boyles is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 1.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, a 28-year-old man contacted the Vancouver Police Department on Jan. 2 and told officers a fellow user of the Sniffles app offered to pay him $1,200 to sexually abuse the user’s family member.
Investigating officers worked to identify the user’s account and found it belonged to Boyles, the affidavit states.
A search warrant was served Tuesday at Boyles’ residence in the West Minnehaha neighborhood, court records say, and his electronic devices were seized.
In an interview with detectives, Boyles allegedly admitted to attempting to solicit the sexual abuse of his family member, with multiple users of the app. He said he never followed through, however, according to the affidavit.
Detectives said they learned the child had been staying in Boyles’ apartment during the dates he attempted to solicit her sexual exploitation, the affidavit states.
“Based on my training and experience, Boyles’ pattern of behavior represents an ongoing and profound risk to children in his immediate vicinity,” the officer wrote in the affidavit.
