SEATTLE — A longtime minister in the Seattle area has been charged with possession of child pornography.
David Bloom, 82, was arrested on Sept. 20 after police interviewed him at his Seattle condo. According to court documents reviewed by KING 5, the investigation into Bloom began back in March.
Microsoft alerted police on March 7 that a user had uploaded three files that contained depictions of a minor engaged in sexual activity. A detective was assigned to the case several weeks later and eventually got a judge to sign off on a warrant for internet records from the Comcast user identified by Microsoft.
Once Bloom was identified through internet records, police eventually found Bloom and brought him back to his condo to be interviewed. Court documents say Bloom admitted to viewing the images and "thought it was an intervention since he has been viewing these images for approximately 3 to 4 years."
Police reviewed a laptop belonging to Bloom and found over 20 images with children in various sexual situations. The search history on the laptop also included terms like "Young Girl Sharing Affection with Father," according to court documents.
Bloom was arrested and then charged on Sept. 23. Bail was set at $5,000 and Bloom's next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19, according to court documents.
Bloom's LinkedIn page indicates that he directed the urban ministry of the Church Council of Greater Seattle from 1978 to 1997. He also helped found the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) in 1979, which is now one of Seattle's most significant providers of homelessness services.
He also helped found the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness and still lists himself as an adjunct faculty member at Antioch University in Seattle.
