Man arrested for child exploitation had worked for Tri-City school district
A Kennewick man accused of child exploitation had been working for a Tri-Cities school district before his arrest.
Jason S. Ruegsegger, 46, was arrested Thursday by the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (SER-ICAC) Taskforce on suspicion of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to Richland police.
The investigation began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from Google on Dec. 5, 2024, indicating that images depicting child sexual abuse material were uploaded to Ruegsegger’s Google account.
Ruegsegger had uploaded 12 files containing child sexual abuse material the day before.
Investigators said they were able to identify him, as well his home in Kennewick. Once detectives verified the material did involve minors, search warrants were issued for Ruegsegger’s phones and internet.
Ruegsegger was employed full time as a material processing operator at a local titanium business and part-time as a bus attendant working with disabled and special education students, according to court documents.
Detectives contacted Kennewick School District to verify his employment earlier this year. Investigators were told he was “on call” but had not worked for the district since December.
Additional resources were used because he may have been in close proximity and contact with children, according to court documents.
Kennewick schools told the Tri-City Herald that Ruegsegger no longer worked for the district, listing his dates of employment from Jan. 14, 2025, through March 3, 2026.
Ruegsegger said in court last week that he no longer works near children.
He was interviewed by detectives last week and claimed his email account was hacked. When asked about the photos, he requested an attorney, according to court documents.
After Ruegsegger was taken into custody search warrants were used to search his vehicle and home, where several electronic devices were seized for examination.
He was booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of two felony counts of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Ruegsegger posted $25,000 bail after making an initial court appearance Friday afternoon.
The taskforce was assisted in the investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, Benton County Sheriff’s Office electronic search K9 Blaze and Richland, Kennewick and Pasco police departments.
For information about internet safety tips and how to make a cybertip, visit richlandwa.gov and navigate to the police department’s internet safety resources page.
Anyone with information related to this case or similar incidents, should contact the Richland Police Department and reference this case. Tips can be made online at richlandwa.gov/policetips.