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6-20-17 UPDATE:
WEST RICHLAND, WA – A man convicted of having more than 1,400 pictures of child pornography and syringes full of date rape drugs has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
47-year-old Darrin Ruddell of West Richland will also be under 30 years of court supervision once released and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Back in November of 2015, members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force were tipped off that Ruddell had images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. During a search of Ruddell’s home on February 23, 2016, detectives also found loaded syringes and a vial of ketamine as well as a bottle of lorazepam – both are known to be used as date rape drugs – along with several “peek-a-boo” cameras in the home.
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5-5-16 UPDATE:
WEST RICHLAND, WA – 47-year-old Darrin Ruddell is back in jail after his hearing on Thursday May 5. Detectives linked him to actually taking the child pornography photos found in his home. The judge also raised bail $25,000 to $175,000.
His next court date is May 25 and his trial is set to start June 6.
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3-30-16 ORIGINAL STORY:
WEST RICHLAND, WA – A West Richland man accused of having over a thousand pictures of child pornography and syringes full of date rape drugs, made another appearance in court Wednesday morning.
New conclusions from evidence is frightening to many and according to new charging documents detectives believe 47-year-old Darrin Ruddell took photos of close relatives engaged in sexually explicit conduct. NBC Right Now is told Child Protective Services is involved, but it is not clear to what extent.
Ruddell worked as Registered Nurse for Kadlec. A representative told NBC Right Now once they received word of the investigation Ruddell was suspended, as of Wednesday Ruddell no longer works for the company.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about the images back in November of 2015 from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Detectives say there are filters on the web that are used to catch this type of activity, “We get cyber tips from carriers when child pornography, when child images are seen crossing their servers,” explained Detective Larry Smith, who is working on the Ruddell investigation.
During a search of Ruddell’s home on February 23rd, detectives found loaded syringes and a vile of Ketamine as well as a bottle of Lorazepam, both are known to be used as date rape drugs. Investigators also found several “peek-a-boo” cameras in the home with memory cards that will be searched.
Ruddell is facing nine charges in the case, he posted bail shortly after his arrest. According to the Washington State Department of Health, Ruddell’s RN license is still active. He has been a licensed nurse for 12 years.
The sheriff’s office does not believe he took any photos of patients at work. Ruddell is scheduled to appear in court again on April 20th.