‘The youngest the better’: Centralia man charged for images of children as young as 4

A 35-year-old Centralia man has been charged with four felonies in Lewis County Superior Court after an investigation determined he downloaded child abuse material showing children as young as 4 years old engaged in sexually explicit activity. 

Gilberto James Paniagua made his initial appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday, Aug. 5. He has been charged with first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit material, first-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and second-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Each of the charges is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. 

On Tuesday, Judge Paul Strophy set Paniagua’s bail at $20,000 and ordered that, if he bails out, he have no contact with minor children or visit places children frequent. He was still being held in the Lewis County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon. 

On July 1, the Centralia Police Department reviewed a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the Internet Crime Against Children Data System. 

A detective discovered that a website had reported a user downloaded sexual abuse material between Nov. 22 and Nov. 23, 2024. There were also 33 files that were uploaded, according to court documents. 

A detective reviewed all the files, describing them as showing children between the ages of 4 and 12 in sexually explicit poses and various states of undress. 

Further review of chats on the website found that Paniagua responded “the youngest the better” when speaking with another user about trading videos. 

The website that provided the tip additionally gave investigators the user name and IP address used, which linked the activity to Paniagua. One of his family members confirmed that Paniagua stayed at an address in Centralia during the time the material was accessed and downloaded. 

On Aug. 4, Paniagua was contacted by law enforcement on an unrelated matter before being arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail.

“Gilberto admitted that he's dealt with alcohol and drug addiction for years and they lead him to go to a dark place, and that is when he looks at child porn,” according to court documents. “He admitted he finds the images in chat groups online. He admitted he did send child porn on 11/22/2024.”

Paniagua is next scheduled to appear in Lewis County Superior Court for an arraignment and trial setting on Aug. 14.