On September 24, 2025, law enforcement officials conducted search and arrest operations in Richland, Washington, and Mason City, Iowa, as part of a child exploitation investigation focused on the Tri-Cities area. The Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (SER-ICAC) Task Force led the effort, working with local police departments, sheriff’s deputies, and federal agents.
Joseph Ralland Whipple, 34, was taken into custody in Mason City on federal charges related to producing, distributing, receiving, and possessing sexually explicit images of minors from the Tri-Cities region. Authorities executed a search warrant at his Iowa residence and seized several electronic devices. The Mason City Police Department and the Iowa Department of Public Safety assisted in the operation. Whipple appeared in federal court in Iowa and remains detained pending further proceedings in the Eastern District of Washington. In addition to federal charges, Whipple faces state charges in Benton County Superior Court for two counts of Rape of a Child in the First Degree with an aggravating circumstance involving a pattern of sexual abuse and two counts of Child Molestation in the First Degree involving multiple minor victims. His bail is set at one million dollars.
Charles Lon Seltz, 57, was arrested in Richland on state charges of Rape of a Child in the First Degree. Investigators searched his home and confiscated electronic devices. Seltz has been charged with four counts of Rape of Child in the First Degree with an aggravating circumstance for a pattern of sexual abuse. His bail is also set at one million dollars.
“An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
The prosecution involves collaboration between the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Washington and Northern District of Iowa as well as the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office.
