Olympia man accused of possessing child sexual abuse images, public voyeurism
A 49-year-old Olympia man accused of possessing child sexual abuse images is being held in the Thurston County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Troopers arrested Robert D. Welliever on March 30 following a months-long investigation by the Washington State Patrol High Tech Crimes Unit (HTCU), according to a Tuesday WSP news release.
Judge John Skinder set the bail amount in Thurston County Superior Court during his preliminary appearance on March 31, court records show. Prosecutors have since charged him with four counts: first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and three counts of first-degree voyeurism. Welliever pleaded not guilty to the charges at a Tuesday arraignment hearing.
Law enforcement alleges Welliever kept child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his laptop and filmed children and adults in public areas, according to court records.
Investigators believe Welliever may have targeted more victims than have been identified so far, per the release. Anyone with information related to this case can contact WSP Detective Bradley Beattie at 360-489-4683 or at bradley.beattie@wsp.wa.gov.
The Olympian has asked Welliever’s attorney to comment on the allegations.
The investigation started on Dec. 8 after the HTCU “identified activity involving the sharing of suspected (CSAM) through a peer-to-peer network” linked to an Olympia IP address, the release states.
Investigators obtained a search warrant from Pierce County Superior Court Judge Alicia Burton for the internet provider the IP address was registered to, according to court records.
On March 16, investigators reviewed three billing statements that allegedly identified Welliever as the account holder. The statements reportedly listed his address as a residence on Frederick Street Southeast in east Olympia.
HTCU investigators knocked on the door on March 20 and spoke with Welliever under the ruse that they were investigating a mail theft case, according to court records.
After confirming he lived there, investigators obtained a new search warrant from Pierce County Superior Court Judge Angelica Williams, court records show.
Investigators served the warrant on March 30 with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation SWAT team, WSP Field Operations Bureau and WSP Criminal Investigation Division, the release states.
The troopers found a home in “disarray” and an open laptop, according to court records. The laptop allegedly stored over 100 videos that appeared “consistent with CSAM.”
A hard drive allegedly contained multiple videos in which Welliever angled a camera toward the private areas of children and women in public locations throughout Thurston County, per the release.
Many of the videos appeared to be taken at a discount store on Sleater Kinney Road Southeast, according to court records.
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 4:26 PM.
