Seattle family therapist arrested on child porn charges flees US after bailing himself out for $7,500

It has been revealed that a Seattle-area family and children’s therapist who was arrested on child pornography charges was able to bail himself out for only $7,500 and has fled the US. According to Fox13, Yuexiang "Bruce" Ling was stopped by Port of Seattle officers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in October but was released due to confusion over red tape.

In an email obtained by the outlet, Homeland Security told the King County Sheriff, "Contact has been made and Port of Seattle police was on scene and declined detention of the subject due to the lack of warrant. Unfortunately, subject was released and boarded his outbound flight."

Casey McNerthney, spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, told Fox 13, "We believe they absolutely could have arrested him, and we were under the belief that they would have because they did not need a warrant to arrest him,” adding that Ling could have been arrested for bail jumping by trying to board a flight, and for violating his release orders by getting a passport. 

Charging documents revealed that Ling was employed with Valley Cities Behavioral Health Care. He claims that in his position he worked with schools, the Department of Children, Youth & Families, Child Protective Services, and Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Officers found images of child pornography in a computer file with his cover letter for an application to Seattle Children’s Hospital, but Ling was still able to bond out of jail with only $7,500. 

Even after surrendering his ID and a Chinese passport to the police, he was able to acquire an illegal passport, which he brought to the airport to leave the US. Even though US Homeland Security flagged him, and the King County Sheriff's Office told Port of Seattle to arrest him, but officers still let Ling board an airplane to China.