Tri-Cities Business Woman Charged With Messaging Child For Sex

We live in a close-knit community here in the Tr-Cities. Everyone knows everyone!  Or so it seems. Often we hear or see things in the news about a community member that makes us uncomfortable. This is one of those times.

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Even if we don't know the people involved or on a personal level, we may have heard their name or know of their business, etc. And that makes it difficult to want to add to a discussion because it feels a bit like gossip.

That being said, there are lessons to be learned in the situation with the recent News story from the Tri-Cities Herald.

The details and article also found on a recent post from Reddit reveal that a state-licensed Tri-Cities real estate agent is accused of messaging with a teenage boy about having sex. This was originally initiated through Instagram messages to the boy.

This was concerning to me so I dug a little deeper...

How to keep kids safe online

Keep in mind these are alleged accusations and innocent until proven guilty right? Still, these are things that if accurate, are disturbing. We need to be better at protecting kids.

Benton County prosecutors charged Carolyn Celski, 38, with communicating with a minor for immoral purposes for a series of messages she exchanged with him in 2022, according to court documents.

The teen told investigators that they intended to have sex but they didn’t have a specific plan. 

Communicating with a minor for immoral purposes can be a felony or a gross misdemeanor in Washington state. One way it’s considered a felony is if an adult propositions a child online.

Celski and her husband Jason Celski, own Celski and Associates, a property management and real estate sales firm. Jason Celski also has a law firm.

Carolyn Celski is a state-licensed real estate broker, a certification she’s had since 2013.

According to the article found on Reddit:

The teen’s parents told sheriff’s deputies that they learned about the inappropriate messages on Dec. 9, 2022, when Celski called them and said she’d been messaging with their son and that the messages from him “were becoming inappropriate” and that “she let things go too far,” according to court documents.

The point I think we all need to be aware of is that our youth are impressionable and also very private at this age. It's hard to navigate their right to privacy with keeping them safe.

It's important to say something if you see something. I applaud the parents and the husband of the woman for coming forward when they sensed something wasn't right.

Using Instagram parental Tools could prove helpful as well as other filters and tools for youth with filtered exposure to various sites.