A Washougal man pleaded guilty Sept. 30 in federal court to two counts of producing child pornography depicting his rape of two infants, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Steven Rian Price, 27, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 3, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington. The prosecution and defense will recommend a sentence of 20 years in prison as a part of the plea agreement, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. The mandatory minimum sentence is 15 years in prison.
Price lived with his spouse and an infant in a motel in Washougal during the summer of 2019. Price used his smartphone to record himself sexually assaulting the child and another child who was living at the motel, and later shared the videos online, the U.S. attorney stated.
In October 2019, the online platform Discord alerted law enforcement about a video Price uploaded, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Vancouver police subsequently arrested him.
Prior to the assaults, Child Protective Services (CPS) terminated the parental rights of Price and his spouse and removed four children from their custody. CPS did not know Price and his spouse had an infant, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.