WA youth softball coach arrested on child pornography charges

A youth softball coach in Pierce County has been arrested on multiple child pornography charges, sending shockwaves through the Eatonville community.

Prosecutors say 36-year-old Brock Kasey Maxwell, who coaches his daughter’s team through the Eatonville Youth Sports Association, is facing four counts of Dealing in Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct. According to court documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, investigators allege Maxwell possessed and shared videos depicting children as young as two years old being sexually abused.

The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation began after detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit received a tip that a Kik messenger user was sharing child sexual assault material between May 1 and June 1 of this year. Court documents state the account was traced to IP addresses and a device belonging to Maxwell.

Detectives say they also uncovered disturbing chat messages in which Maxwell allegedly discussed his own children and referenced sending pictures or videos of them to others. Investigators have not confirmed whether those images were authentic.

Prosecutors summarized the case in charging documents, writing, “It is clear from these numerous chats that the defendant is both asking for and sending out child sexual abuse material.”

Maxwell, who has held multiple youth coaching positions in the past, was arrested at his job at Capital Lumber in Tacoma. Parents say they received no warning from the Eatonville Youth Sports Association before the arrest, and many expressed outrage over the lack of communication.

During a search of Maxwell’s home, detectives also found court paperwork from an earlier case involving sexual exploitation material in his master-bedroom closet. According to court documents, he was previously investigated while in college for child sexual-abuse material.

Maxwell's wife, who is identified by law enforcement as a teacher at a local elementary school, had also "found a thumb drive containing child sexual abuse material approximately five years ago," according to charging documents.

A search of public records shows that in 2008, a man named Brock K. Maxwell was charged in Whitman County with “Furnishing Liquor to a Minor/Sexual Conduct” under Washington state law (RCW 9.68A.080). He pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000, receiving a 90-day sentence that was later dismissed in 2011 after completing a deferred disposition. It is not confirmed if they are the same person.

A statement posted to the Eatonville Youth Sports Association website stated, "Our board has been notified of criminal charges made against one of our youth coaches. We met, and the coach was immediately suspended from coaching the current season, and permanently excluded from any further involvement with our program. These are obviously very concerning allegations. Safety always has been, and will remain a top priority for the children involved in our program. Every EYSA volunteer, including coaches, game officials, and the board, is required to pass a background check prior to any involvement with our organization."

Maxwell’s trial is scheduled to begin on September 13, and the investigation remains active.