Citing an “ongoing pattern of very severe child sexual abuse,” a Clark County deputy prosecutor on Tuesday asked for half a million dollars in bail for a woman arrested by Vancouver police after she became the fourth suspect in an ongoing investigation that has already led to the arrest of her husband.
Vancouver police detectives arrested Anna May Hartley, 41, the wife of Chad Hartley, on Monday, May 11.
Anna Hartley was arrested and booked into Clark County Jail on charges of first-degree trafficking and first-degree child molestation.
During her first court appearance on Tuesday, May 12, Clark County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Megan Hamilton Finch said the state is concerned about Hartley’s access to children, noting that, like her husband, she allegedly dropped the 6-year-old girl off at abuser’s home and that she had recently been supervising another young child.
Anna Hartley’s defense attorney, Autumn Nigro, requested bail to be set at $50,000. Clark County Superior Court Judge Tsering D. Cornell approved bail at $300,000 and the setting of intensive-level supervision if bail is posted.
Hartley appeared for the hearing via a video feed from the Clark County Jail. Donning orange jail garb, she clasped her hands and responded to a series of procedural questions from Cornell, but was not provided an opportunity to address the allegations.
The Vancouver Police Department began looking into Chad Hartley after they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in February that child sex abuse material had been uploaded to Discord from Chad Hartley’s IP address, according to court records. Chad Hartley was also said to be an administrator of online chatrooms that distributed child pornography, according to court records.
Investigators found images of nude minors posing with genitalia being the main focal point of the images, as well as images of Chad Hartley in various states of nudity and sexually explicit activity. Detectives also found AI-generated child sex abuse material.
Chad Hartley was previously a medical assistant at the PeaceHealth Fisher’s Landing clinic in Vancouver. According to court records, law enforcement stopped Chad Hartley after he left his place of work on Wednesday, April 29, leading to his arrest.
Through interviews with Chad and Anna Hartley, investigators learned of a second suspect in the case.
Dr. Michael Wilmington, 61, of La Center, last serving as a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Salmon Creek, was accused of child molestation and was called an “extreme threat to children” by investigators.
Wilmington’s career spanned three decades and was fired from Kaiser Permanente on Thursday, April 30, according to statements to the press by Kaiser.
Wilmington died by suicide in Lewis County in early May as the investigation unfolded.
Chad Hartley and Wilmington were introduced at a nude bowling event and became friends with a shared nudist lifestyle and even spent time with an underage victim known to both Hartley and Wilmington quite often, court records state.
Chad Hartley is alleged of having driven the underage victim to Wilmington’s house multiple times for unsupervised nude sleepovers, prompting probable cause for trafficking charges. Sometimes Hartley would stay, as well, court records state.
On May 7, detectives from the Vancouver Police Department served a search warrant at a Vancouver residence and arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail, William J. Sneiderwine, 61, for first-degree conspiracy to commit child molestation and tampering with physical evidence. Sneiderwine remains in Clark County Jail with $750,000 bail.
Sneiderwine was previously identified as “Will” in earlier court records.
A LinkedIn profile listed Sneiderwine as an event manager at Club Demonstration Services.
According to Sneiderwine’s Friday, May 8, court appearance, Sneiderwine may have previously been employed as a teacher. Sneiderwine is alleged to have destroyed evidence believed to be connected to Hartley and Wilmington. It was also made aware in the court appearance that Sneiderwine is a registered sex offender.
Chad Hartley’s charges include first-degree child molestation, first-degree trafficking, two counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, two counts of first-degree voyeurism, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor photograph/live performance, four counts of second-degree dealing depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, four counts of second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and a civil proceeding under a separate case number.
Prosecutors stated during Chad Hartley’s May 6 court appearance they are anticipating more charges.
Anna Hartley was interviewed by detectives, and according to the court records, was aware of the nude sexual encounters with a minor with her husband, Wilmington and Sneiderwine, as illustrated in court records.
Anna Hartley will be arraigned in Clark County Superior Court on Monday, May 18 at 9 a.m.
