SULTAN, Wash., August 25, 2023—Registered sex offender Russell Eugene Wathen, 45, of Sultan was arrested on the evening of Wednesday, August 23, by Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office east county deputies for first-degree child molestation. Bail was set at $250,000 after his initial court appearance on Thursday.
On August 23, Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 35000 block of Sultan Startup Road for a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the disturbance between an adult woman and the Wathen occurred after she learned of a young child was allegedly sexually assaulted by the suspect.
Deputies spoke with all involved parties and determined there was probable cause to arrest the Wathen for child molestation in the first-degree. The suspect was arrested and booked into the Snohomish County Jail.
The suspect is a level one Registered Sex Offender in Snohomish County. The Sheriff’s Office Registered Sex Offender unit has aggravated the offender’s risk classification to a level two. This classification may change again after the court process is complete, according to law enforcement.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging residents to take advantage of the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs free online sex offender email notification. When a sex offender registers with your local sheriff’s office, you will be alerted if the offender’s address is within one mile of the address you have entered for your notification.
This remains an active investigation.
