A man arrested Wednesday for molesting multiple children in Spokane County was already the target of a police sex investigation when these new crimes allegedly occurred.
Documents obtained by KHQ show Dean "DJ" Zumwalt was accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl "over the 2016 summer break and the previous fall" at a camper in Elk, WA; an agent with the state's Child Protective Services (CPS) first alerted Spokane Police to the potential sex crime last April.
Since it was out of their jurisdiction, Spokane police turned the case over to Pend Oreille County, but not before confronting Zumwalt about the accusations. According to the case file, Zumwalt admitted to being a registered sex offender but said, "... There's no way I could do anything to any kids."
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Sheriff's deputies in Pend Oreille County interviewed the Elk victim, "TH," last May. "TH" relayed graphic details of the alleged molestation by Zumwalt - but according to these documents, no charges were filed, pending "further investigation."
A few months later, Zumwalt allegedly began luring other kids to his remote trailer home with the promise of a sleep-over. He now stands accused of sexually molesting as many as five children over several week-ends beginning in early November; according to these new filings, the allegations in the Spokane County case and the Pend Oreille County case are "very similar."
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(story: Kelly Hatmaker, KHQ Content Brand Manager, KHQ.com; images: Spokane County Sheriff's Office)