Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Pullman man facing 20 counts
PULLMAN — A local man was arrested and booked into the Whitman County Jail on Tuesday, Nov. 25, for multiple child pornography and conduct charges.
Robert M. Keller, 38, of Pullman, is being held without bail in the Whitman County Jail on nine counts of first-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, one count of second-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, nine counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and one count of second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to court documents, at 12:33 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, police responded to reports of a dispute near West Main and Northwest State Streets.
Officers arrived to find Keller kneeling on the ground and visibly out of breath, surrounded by his siblings, Christopher Brousseau and Kaitlyn Stevenson, along with Stevenson’s spouse, Kolla Davis-Smith, records show. After speaking with those involved, officers determined Keller had been attempting suicide by jumping in front of vehicles on the roadway.
Keller, who appeared to be heavily intoxicated, resisted arrest, records show. He was eventually transported to Pullman Regional Hospital for evaluation and placed in the care of hospital staff, who were advised to notify police if he left the facility.
At 2:24 p.m. that day, Keller’s girlfriend, Madison L. McGowan, arrived at the Police Department with Stevenson and Davis-Smith to report that they had discovered child pornography on Keller’s phone, records show. The group turned over the device, a newer-model iPhone with a light brown leather case bearing a 49ers logo.
According to McGowan, she and Keller had been in a relationship for three months and shared a residence at 150 N.W. Harold Drive, records show. She noted Keller occasionally stayed elsewhere, claiming to be at Stevenson’s home or a hotel.
McGowan said that she found proof of infidelity on Keller’s phone and began looking more carefully, records show. McGowan said that while looking through the phone, she opened the photos app and saw a video thumbnail that was titled with explicit language involving a 9-year-old girl. McGowan said she also located other graphic and nude images and video thumbnails depicting young children.
Court documents show Keller was allegedly viewing child pornography on apps like Snapchat and Discord.
Davis-Smith reportedly saw messages on Discord in which Keller described raping a 14-year-old child last week, records show, noting the child is a friend of his former step-daughter.
Records show Keller was using the alias “Mark” using the @ace_collector social media account and asking for explicit photos and conversing about desires. Conversations between the two allegedly show an offer to trade pictures of minors.
Court documents show Keller received and sent several images on the Telegram (messaging) app.
Keller was previously convicted of raping a child in Idaho and served several years in prison. Records from his Interstate Identification Index show that he repeatedly violated the conditions of his probation for that offense.
Keller also has a documented history of suicide attempts, disappearing and being reported missing by his family, often hiding in hotels in other cities.
“Keller told me that he had last been in contact with his 14-year-old former step-daughter, the one whose friend he brags about raping on Nov. 23, 2024,” Carpenter said.
That same day, at 4:35 p.m., Keller had fled the hospital, records show.
“I located Keller at 1690 SE Harvest Dr [WALMART],” arresting Police Officer Breauna Carpenter said. “Keller started sprinting as soon as he saw my patrol car. I flipped around to chase Keller and he ran for about 40 feet before giving up and sitting on a bench.
“I contacted Keller, advised him he was still in protective custody and transported him back to PRH. ER staff then cleared Keller for jail.”
Keller has denied having any explicit images of minors on his phone.
But records show Keller allegedly admitted to visiting pornography websites and watching videos where participants looked like they could be under 18 years old. However, Keller claimed that because they were on pornography websites, they had to be 18-years-old or older.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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