Pullman man accused of possessing child pornography pleads not guilty

A Pullman man accused of multiple felonies for possessing child pornography denied the charges Friday morning in Whitman County Superior Court in Colfax.

Robert Keller, 38, was arrested for 20 felonies related to having child sexual abuse material. He pleaded not guilty to six counts of possessing depictions of minors engaging in sexual explicit conduct in court.

Court documents show Pullman police were called to a dispute Nov. 24 near Main and State streets. Officers found Keller had reportedly attempted suicide by jumping in front of cars in the road.

Authorities noted in the probable cause affidavit he appeared heavily intoxicated and resisted arrest. He was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital and hospital staff were asked to notify police if he left the medical care center.

Court documents indicate Keller’s family and girlfriend arrived at the local police department later that day, and told officers they allegedly found child pornography on his phone.

His girlfriend reportedly said she found proof of infidelity on his device, and while looking through it she saw an explicit image of a 9-year-old girl, according to the court documents. She also located other graphic sexual images and video thumbnails depicting children on apps like Discord and Snapchat.

Court documents show his family supposedly found messages on Discord where Keller described raping a 14-year-old child in November. He had allegedly been offering to trade pictures of minors on social media.

Keller’s girlfriend told police while sharing a residence with him in the past three months, he was reportedly gone half the time and claimed to be at a relative’s home or a hotel.

That evening officers were notified that Keller had fled the hospital. Court documents indicate police located him at the local Walmart, and Keller reportedly began to sprint when he saw authorities’ patrol car.

Law enforcement apprehended Keller and advised him he was still in protective custody, according to court documents. After ER staff cleared him for jail, he was arrested on nine counts of first-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexual explicit conduct, nine counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexual explicit conduct, one count of second-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexual explicit conduct and one count of second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

In a conversation with police, court documents show Keller denied having any explicit images of minors on his phone. He allegedly admitted to visiting pornography websites and watching videos where people engaged in activities could be younger than 18 years old. But he claimed because they were on pornographic websites they had to be 18 or older.

Court documents indicate Keller had previously been convicted of raping a child in Idaho and served several years in prison. He had reportedly violated conditions of his probation on several occasions for that offense.

Keller is being held at the Whitman County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He will appear before a jury for trial in January.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.